Varsity Life
by hannahjap
Summary: AU. Set in modern day, in ENGLAND, at a pretentious university. The four main characters are nineteen, regardless of canon age gaps. Enjoy: It's funny. :D FINISHED
1. Prelude

**Prelude**

There was once a small university in the south of England. It was a pretty campus, covered in ivy and shrouded in trees. The buildings were old fashioned, cavernous and stunning. Overall, the university had a reputation for admitting only the best. Other than that there was nothing special about it. That is, of course, aside from the people that went there. Most of them were totally unremarkable - a hoard of boring, bland, bookworms who meant nothing to nobody. There was one small group, however, that stuck out like a sore thumb. Tucked in amongst the studious nineteen year olds were a handful of less scholarly, but much more interesting students.

First off, there was a boy named Zuko. Zuko was born in the higher reaches of society; he had always had what he had wanted before he'd wanted it. Naturally, the best education went without saying, and had been arranged long before he could possibly sit the gruelling entrance exam. Zuko was lucky in that respect: there was no chance of him ever getting into a place like this without money and power. After all, they weren't likely to be impressed by his B average. He was also lucky to have been accepted long before his father had realised it was, in fact, his sister that should be getting the perks. Zuko's sister was somewhat of a prodigy. She was always much better at everything she tried; sports, martial arts and even schoolwork. Ever since the death of his mother, who had always been slightly disappointed in his sister's brutal, competitive nature, Zuko had become the black sheep of his family. This was the primary reason he had been so glad to move away to university.

Next, there was another boy, named Jet. It had always been somewhat of a mystery how Jet had got into the academy. Although he was smart, he lazed through, or truanted, most of his classes and didn't come from a well-off family. And if he hadn't studied or bribed his way in, it was just a matter of time before the rumours sprung up. There were all sorts, of course, but the most popular was that his family had connections with some mysterious form of criminal underworld… or MI5. The odds of that being true were a hundred to one, but still, in a boring place you had to make your own fun. Jet certainly did. He had started half the rumours himself and had drawn half the school's female population back to his room at one time or another. There didn't seem any other reason for him to be at university other than to drink hard and party late.

There were of course girls too. One such was called Katara. Now Katara, at first glance, would appear to blend perfectly into the majority of students - she was clever, behaved perfectly politely and didn't have a mysterious past. Katara was not ordinary, though. She had studied furiously hard to get into the academy, making it into the top half of the class. The main difference between her and the masses was that her family worked hard - not having prestige and inheritance to fall back on. As such, she had a fraction of the spare cash the rest of her class did, but knew the value of having to struggle in life. Something necessary to keep her grades up and, in turn, keep her in on brains alone.

The final member of the group was another girl, called Toph. Toph may not have been the brightest apple in the bunch, but her athletic skills were outstanding. She had been accepted into the university on a mixture of complete awe and a small donation from a wealthy family to insure it. Toph had already perfected several forms of martial art and was on the teams for almost every sport you could name. This was made even more incredible by the fact that she was totally and completely blind. She always had been. Perhaps that is why she felt the need so strongly to prove she could be fantastic without her sight.

And so these were the few unusual members of the university. And this is a story about them.


	2. Chapter 1

**One**

It was early afternoon. Zuko was making his way to his final class of the day, taking his time through the grounds to admire the colours painted in the trees by dying leaves. Every year he liked to watch them go from earthy tones to fiery reds, and he'd never seen better leaves than here. As he approached the main lecture hall, he paused for one last look, then picked up his pace and went to find his room. Once inside, he realised he wasn't as late as he'd thought he'd been. In fact, there were only a handful of other people here. Aggravated, he took a seat towards the back of the room and opened his notebook to go over his notes from last time.

Meanwhile, Jet was still lingering around the cafeteria, even though lunch had ended hours ago. He had some anonymous girl against a wall and was attempting to steer a conversation about her Latin essay to a more interesting place. Eventually, accepting all the girl wanted was someone to talk at, he made up some excuse and left. Lazily, he plucked a stem of dry grass from the ground by the exit as he passed and began to chew it. As he walked, the idea dawned on him that he had a class going at this moment and that, with nothing better to do; he may as well go to it.

As Zuko's class began to fill, he found it harder and harder to shut out the background noise generated by his peers. With a sigh, he gave up on memorising his notes. The lecture would begin any moment anyway. As he put his book back into his bag, he caught a familiar shadow out of the corner of his eye. He turned and looked darkly up at the token rebel of his year. The rebel stared back at him.

"Aren't you lucky. I was just going to my own lecture when I remembered you had one in here."

Zuko glared at the sneering face leaning in on him. To him, Jet was just another distraction. Someone to be avoided.

"Some of us have work to do, we can't all be so lucky to have the mob on our side."

Jet smirked. "Well, you know this place. Breeding is everything. And I don't see why someone as high class as you needs to take so many notes on… what is this class again?"

Zuko met the smirk with a scowl. "You should know - you already dropped out of it." Jet remained blank. "Ahh! It's classical civilisations!" With that, he snatched up his things and marched towards the door; unwilling to be on the receiving end of any more of Jet's drivel. Jet, unwilling to be ignored, hurried to match the pace.

"Hey come on, relax. I was only fooling around." Zuko ignored him and stared coldly ahead. "What's wrong with you?" Jet snarled, shoving him. Zuko, caught out, dropped everything he'd been carrying and had to stoop to pick it up. Jet's expression immediately softened and he realised, as always, he had gone too far. He considered helping Zuko get his things back in order, but, knowing him to be a proud person, muttered a brief apology and shuffled off.

Zuko gathered his belongings and tucked them furiously into his bag. He didn't hate Jet, at least not until he did something like this. Which was more often than not. He didn't even know him that well, but for some reason he had never rightly understood, Jet had taken a liking to him and since then he had been unable to shift the pest. As he picked up the final thing, his notebook, he felt the familiar feeling of someone standing behind him. He peered over his shoulder to see who. Thankfully, it was not Jet, although perhaps it was no better. There was a girl there. She was pretty, quite tall and her long brown hair was held back in a plait. This girl was Katara, and she was completely off limits. Zuko quickly finished up and stood, knowing that height was the only advantage he had over the wild temper of the girl. Why she was watching him pick up his books, he did not know.

"Hello Katara."

Her face twitched in something resembling a smile, but settled into a frown. "Why are you scrabbling around on the floor?"

"I dropped some things." It occurred to him that he'd only ever spoken to Katara in single lines.

"Well, be more careful." She pushed past him, nose held high, to wherever she was needed. As he well knew, she disliked him with a burning passion. Not for him, of course, but where he was from. If he remembered correctly, some of her family had worked for his for a time and had been 'excused'. Other than that, she just generally disliked the upper class. Fair enough, really - when you spend your days being mocked by people who have everything, you're bound to start feeling bitter towards them. As he went to go back to his classroom, he was hit by someone running very fast and obviously not paying attention to where they were going.

"Look where you're going!" He yelled, rubbing his knee where they'd run into him. As they turned, he regretted it.

It was another girl. This one was short, strongly built and generally messy looking. Her dark hair was pulled up into a bob with an unfittingly girly hairband strapping it down. She was wearing grass stained clothes and running shoes. But her most distinguishing features were her blank eyes, looking just to the side of him. Clearly this was Toph, a girl he had never met but whom he knew to be both blind and the school's top athlete.

"I'm sorry."

"Who are you? I don't recognise your voice," she asked, frowning and looking fruitlessly around. Zuko took a nervous step towards her.

"Uh, here," he said. She stopped still and smiled. "My name is Zuko, you must be… Toph."

She let out a single burst of laughter. "So you've heard of me! The blind bandit, that's what they say, isn't it?" That is indeed what they said, owing to her athletic prowess.

"Yes." Zuko was uncomfortable around this girl, not quite knowing how to act around someone who seemed so confident but who had not even been able to stop herself running into him. Still, aware or not of this, she kept smiling.

"Zuko. Zuko… Yeah, I think I've heard Katara talk about you."

This shook him even further. "Really? You, uh, you're friends with her?"

"Since we were fourteen. Although she's never seemed too fond of you, now why is that?" Toph let a dirty smile creep over her features.

Zuko coughed, wishing he could leave the conversation and just get back to his work. "Oh really, I've, I've no idea."

She laughed again, short and sharp, the echo resounding around the high ceilings. "Oh, sure you do. If you don't want to talk that's fine by me."

That took one weight off his mind, at least. Still, he wanted to leave the situation as quickly as possible. "Yes, well, I've got to get back to class, nice meeting you." A hand leapt out with startlingly accuracy and held him there, preventing his escape.

"Not so fast! I just want to see if what I heard is true." Toph held up her free hand and patted at Zuko's face until she found his left eye. The clumsy invasion of his personal space made him want to shove her off, but he found himself unwilling to hurt someone he instinctively knew should be defenceless. He felt her fingers stroke the rough skin around his eye. Despite her curiosity, she frowned, finding herself frozen on his face.

"How did you get that?" she asked, referring to the scar around his eye. Zuko sighed. He never liked telling this story.

"When I was thirteen, I was making some tea for my father. As I was carrying the cup, my sister jumped out in front of me. Well, stupidly enough, I jumped and spilt the whole thing down my face. They took me to the ER, but I was told it's unlikely to ever heal up all the way. I guess I was lucky though, I could have gone bl-" He cut himself off sharply.

"How awful for you." Toph smiled. She dropped her arm and walked off in the same direction as Katara. Zuko watched her leave, affected by her spitfire boldness somewhere along the line. Eventually, he ignored his lecture hall and walked back in the direction of his dorm room.


	3. Chapter 2

**Two**

Katara sat at her desk, writing, several hours later. This particular piece wasn't due in for another month, but she liked to get a head start on things. She heard her dorm room door click, indicating someone had just come in. She assumed it was Toph, back from her Judo practice, and so didn't bother to get up from her work. As she felt a hand drop onto her shoulder, she realised it wasn't.

"What are you writing?"

She shook him off, angrily, and pulled her chair further in. "Go away, Jet."

He smiled slyly. "Now why would you want me to do that?"

She dropped her pen heavily on the desk and snapped her head around. "I asked you to return that key, you know, why do you still have it?"

"Because you still _want_ me to have it."

"No I don't! Give it to me!" she snarled, grabbing at the key he dangled just out of her reach.

"Well, why didn't you say so? Put that paper away and I'd be glad to."

"I meant the key!" Katara leapt up from her chair, clawing at his arm to get her spare room key back. Obviously with some experience in this sort of thing, Jet managed to keep it away from her.

At this point, the door went again. This time it really was Toph, but Katara was too busy fighting Jet to notice. Toph heard the snarls and scuffling of feet and approached the source of noise.

"Katara, what's going on?"

Jet turned around and in doing so let Katara get a clear shot for the key. She snatched it and tucked it into her pocket. He clicked his tongue, but let it go.

"Hey there, Toph, how are things with you?"

Her face took on an expression of bored and unsurprised. "Oh. Hey Jet, I'm good." She went over and flopped down on her bed, pulling out a yoyo from an end table and flicking it boredly on and off the side. Jet watched her momentarily, then turned back to Katara.

"We'll just have to reschedule," he smirked. She glared back at him but he was already halfway out the door. Katara turned her attention to Toph.

"Where have you been all day? I haven't seen you since lunch."

Toph continued to play with the yoyo and didn't turn to face her. "I just got busy." Katara started to get out her work again, but Toph went on. "Oh. By the way, I picked up our post. You got a letter from your brother." She reached into her pocket and pulled out a crumpled envelope, handing it to Katara, then lazily flicking the yoyo around once more.

Katara carefully broke open the top and took out the letter. It was written in a speedy scrawl on a single piece of lined paper. He had obviously not taken long over it. It read:

'Katara,

Haven't written for a while so thought I should. How are you? Hope those toffs are treating you alright. Ha! How is Toph? She still keeping up with all her clubs? Anyway, not much else to say, dad misses you. I have to go now, I'm meeting Suki.

Sokka.'

Katara smiled. It may be short, but it was enough. She missed her older brother terribly at times, and their letters were all they had until the summer.

"What's he say?"

Katara glanced over at Toph, before putting the letter down and getting out some paper to reply. "Oh, not much. Asked how you were. He couldn't write much because he had to meet Suki."

Toph gave an exasperated sigh. "He's STILL with Suki? How does that work?"

Katara shrugged, sitting down to start her own letter. "They love each other."

"I bet she winds up pregnant."

"Toph!" Katara frowned, but decided it wasn't worth it. Toph could be pretty bitter sometimes when it came to Sokka. "We both know why you say that."

Toph decided to change the subject hastily. "Why was Jet in here?" She smiled evilly, dropping her yoyo, finally.

Katara tightened her grip on the pen. "He was returning our key. At last." She said through gritted teeth.

Toph sniggered. "Sure. I may not see straight, but I could hear what was going down."

"He wouldn't give me the key. I had to fight for it, that's ALL!" Despite herself, Katara couldn't help smile at her friend's arrogance. Toph was annoying, sure, but she was fun.

"That reminds me. I ran into another friend of yours. Literally."

Katara frowned. "Who?"

"Zuko."

Katara slammed down the pen. Jokes had their place and this was not it. "He is not my friend."

Toph knew when to drop it. "Fine. Whatever, I ran into him after lunch."

"Wait; is that who you were with?" Katara was suddenly very interested. She couldn't quite believe her friend would spend several hours with Zuko after all she'd told her about him.

Toph snorted. "For all of ten minutes, yeah. After that I went running, then I had a practice."

"Oh," Katara sighed, relieved.

"He seemed alright though. Even let me touch his face."

Katara couldn't be doing with arguing. If Toph was going to be stupid and try and prove what a nice guy Zuko was, she wouldn't listen. They were both stubborn enough to make it last all evening.

"Tell Sokka 'hi' from me." Toph said, getting up off her bed and going to the door. As she pulled it open, Katara asked her where she was going. "Out. I'll be back before too long," she replied, and left.

Katara sighed, returning for the last time to her letter. _Toph says hi… _she scribbled, then put her pen down and set to furiously brushing her hair instead.


	4. Chapter 3

**Three**

The next morning, Jet sat eating breakfast in the cafeteria. Not that it could really be called that, he was eating crackers. He noticed Zuko take a seat a few tables away and moved over to sit opposite him. This decision was met with a less icy than usual frown, and no comment whatsoever. That surprised Jet. Usually when he moved in on Zuko's space he was set about like nothing on earth. That meant that something had either put Zuko in an excellent mood, or he was too busy being mad with someone else. As the first was so rare, Jet tried the latter.

"Come on then, out with it, who's on your mind?"

To his surprise, Zuko's eyes darted down towards his plate and he actually answered. "No-one is. Why?" Even his voice was lighter than usual. This meant only one thing, naturally something Jet was particularly familiar with. He smiled sneakily.

"Ooh. No-one. No-one who?"

Zuko glared at Jet but couldn't make it stick. "What do you mean? I said no-one was on my mind, and I meant it."

Jet wondered for a moment. "So, what happened yesterday? You were still in a piss after I left you. Which little no-one came by after that?"

"NO-one." Zuko snarled, stabbing his food with a fork.

"Well, unless it was me who put you in such a good mood, after all…"

Zuko looked up at his dissected breakfast at Jet's far too cocky expression. After a second he looked away again. "Katara came to have a go at me…"

"Is that it?"

"No! Then that sporty girl, uh, Toph - she came by too."

Jet frowned. "Toph?" He looked, seemingly uninterestedly, over his fingernails for a moment, then said "I didn't know that's what did it for you."

Zuko punched the table. "She doesn't! Why are you talking to me anyway? Don't you have a wall to graffiti?"

Jet laughed. "Clever, but it won't work."

"I don't know what you want."

Jet watched Zuko prod his food, which he noticed was, of all things, a fruit salad. Again, very out of character. He thought of one final approach. Reaching over, he plucked a little red fruit from Zuko's tray.

"Give that back!"

"Ah, but that's the thing." Jet held up the fruit. "Once you lose a cherry, you can never get it back." And with that, he ate it and left.

Zuko sat in stunned silence for a moment. He wondered if Jet really thought that was what had happened. Then again, he supposed, he had been acting eerily different and Jet would probably think that of anyone. As he thought on it, someone else slid a tray clumsily up beside him. He looked round and saw it was Toph.

"I hope you don't mind. I heard you talking with Jet. What was he going on about? Cherries?"

"Nothing." Zuko decided he wasn't hungry anymore, and pushed his tray away.

"Oh, OK. By the way, sorry about last night."

Zuko looked around quickly to check Jet wasn't within earshot. "That's alright. It wasn't your fault."

"Still, I feel bad."

He was about to cut in again, when he saw something that could not be good under any circumstances. It was Katara, and she had just caught sight of the two of them. He nudged Toph.

"You should go. Now. Please."

Before she could ask why, Katara slammed down her hands on the opposite side of the table. She looked between the two of them before settling a vicious glare on Zuko.

"And just what do you think you're doing?"

"Katara?" Toph said, suddenly realising why she should probably be five corridors away by now.

Katara ignored her. "What are you doing to Toph, Zuko?"

"I wasn't doing anything! In fact, I was just leaving." As he started to get up, he was stopped by the sight of the only other thing that could go wrong. And as Jet arrived, Katara seemed to only get more vicious.

"What have I missed?" he asked, delighted.

"I'll tell you what you've missed! Just Zuko moving in on Toph!" She turned to Zuko. "You should be ashamed! If you got an idea like that in your head, what could she do about it?"

Toph slammed her foot down and stood up as well. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Katara sighed. "Look, Toph, you don't know him like I do. You shouldn't let him take advantage of you."

"As if he could! I could have him on the floor with my hands behind my back!"

Jet's face lit up with joy. "So it IS Toph."

"It is Toph _what_ Jet?" Katara spat. Zuko shook his head desperately at Jet, but it was in vain.

He reached down to the abandoned breakfast tray and picked up another cherry. He dangled it in front of Zuko's face, smirking. "Sweet little Toph managed to steal one of these last night."

Katara frowned. "What do you mean? That's a…" After a brief moment of realisation, she wheeled on Zuko. "You. Did. WHAT?" It was enough to make him back away a few steps. She was really quite a terrifying girl at times.

"I did nothing! I wouldn't… I didn't…" By now a small crowd was gathering to watch Zuko having every bit of dignity clawed away from him.

As the little scene played out, Toph, who had been entirely silent for a long moment, screamed. The other three turned to look at her.

"What's wrong Toph?" Katara asked.

The expression that had now appeared on Toph's face was not truly describable. Her eye twitched slightly and her mouth twisted into that of someone about to hurl. Her hands curled and uncurled. She screamed again, but this time it was really more of a whimper.

"Why do you _think_ that..?" she whined.

"What?" Zuko snapped.

"How could you possibly thiiink thaaat…"

Jet's face fell. "So you two didn't get up to anything?"

Katara was suspicious. "Wait a minute. You never did tell me where you were going last night. And I don't remember you coming in."

"I didn't come in." Toph said, apparently still disgusted.

"Then where did you sleep?" Katara asked, readying one hand into a fist.

Jet's face lit up once more. "I get you."

Katara frowned at him. "Huh?"

Jet smiled. "Well, it should have been obvious. Our Zuko isn't the sort for THAT, after all. Buuut…" He looked over to Zuko, then Toph, apparently happy to have figured it out. "That would work. And that's good enough for me." With that, he swaggered off. Katara watched him, puzzled, then turned on Zuko again. There was a resounding snigger through the watchers, whether they had any idea what was going on or not.

"Does he actually know or not?" Zuko muttered at Toph.

"Know what?" Katara hissed, advancing.

"OK!" Toph yelled. Katara stopped. "Yeah, I went to see him last night."

"And?" Katara asked, taking an almost unconscious step closer to Zuko, fist raised.

"And nothing."

"Well did you sleep with him or not?"

Zuko cleared his throat, cutting in. Both girls turned to him, as did most everyone else in the room. Feeling even less confident with so much attention focused on him, his voice came out a lot quieter than he'd imagined. "Not as such…"

Well, that was enough for Katara. She decked him. He landed hard on the wood floor. Katara smiled to herself and walked off. Toph stood there for a moment and then followed her out.


	5. Chapter 4

**Four**

Zuko sat with a bag of ice pressed to his forehead. He would have been perfectly content just going back to his dorm room, after he'd regained focus, but several sympathetic and interfering girls in the audience and shushed him and led him off to the medical room, which is where he was now. As another wave of pain rang through his brain, he wished he'd had a chance to explain. Katara really had, as usual, got the wrong end of the stick. That always seemed to get her, and of course in due time him, in trouble.

He sighed. No reasoning with some people. Whether you do something wrong or not, if they want to believe you have, they always will. That was Katara all over. Like with Jet. Although, he supposed, Jet always did something wrong and she could take her pick. And she had. Not that the two of them were a match made in heaven - more like the last two to pair up for the rollercoaster. Still, she had been harsh at the end. He put the ice down and rubbed his head morosely.

Meanwhile, Jet was busy in his own dorm, copying some girl's physics notes. He smiled to himself as he wondered if he'd ever pass any classes if he was just a little bit less charming. Probably not. As he finished up, he thought back to earlier. He hadn't seen any of the three since then, he'd come indirectly back here. Perhaps by now Zuko and Toph had realised their love and Katara was shunned by her best friend running off with her least favourite person. If this was true, that would make her vulnerable for the moment. And THAT would make a quick apology go down easier, and some necking much more likely. Jet crammed the girl's notes back into her book and got up, passing a mirror and checking his eyes, hair, teeth as he did so. He grabbed his spare key and left the room.

Seeing as Jet's little illusion was far from the truth, Katara was not crying into her pillow but reading a book before her next class. She had seen the little girly gaggle cart Zuko off to have his face fixed up over her shoulder, and the idea that the little Marys and Sues still loved someone so repugnant annoyed her. She skimmed the pages, not really taking anything in, until she was caught out by a knock at her door. No-one ever knocked - the only person that ever came was Toph, and seeing as she lived there too she didn't knock. She got up with effort, dumped the book on her bed and went to answer the door.

She was marginally unsurprised to see Jet standing there. She remembered that he had, willingly or not, returned her old key. She was surprised, however, when he reached in and gave her a hug, seemingly trying to comfort her. She pushed him away and blocked him from entering.

"What, Jet? I'm reading."

"As always." This remark was met with annoyance. Jet changed his tone to try and sound warm. "But it's OK. You need to focus on something right now."

"What," she asked, flatly.

"Katara, we both know this is tearing you up inside. I mean - your best friend and your worst enemy? It must hurt right here," he patted his chest. Katara looked boredly back at him.

"What," she said again. Despite herself, she quite liked watching Jet act the idiot, thankfully something he did often. Besides, she'd used up most of her rage on Zuko's face.

"Toph and Zuko! I would completely understand if you wanted to get back at them by dating someone too." Jet leaned a hand on the doorframe and dropped down a little, smiling. "I'd be willing to donate myself to the cause."

Katara groaned. "Tell it to some other girl, Jet. Or better yet, don't." She attempted to close the door, but he stuck his foot in it.

"Take this just in case you change your mind." He took her hand and dropped something small into it. He then smirked at her and strode off. Katara closed the door and looked at what he'd given her. It was a key, obviously his dorm key, and she had no intention of using it for anything - especially what he wanted her to. She opened a draw and tucked it in between a bunch of pencils and gum and other useless things to forget about.

Jet wandered around the campus for a while, making brief conversation where inappropriate and bothering people for spare cash. Eventually, it occurred to him to go and see how Zuko was doing, seeing as he apparently wasn't doing anything fun or Katara would be more willing to give in to his advances. He headed off in the direction of Zuko's room, as he was unaware Zuko was recovering in the medical room.

When he found Zuko's room, he found it to be locked. He was undeterred, as he knew Zuko usually locked his room and also that if he pestered him for a few moments he would open up. He knocked loudly. He was surprised when, several moments later, the door was opened by not Zuko, but Toph. Jet cocked his head and looked at her, perplexed.

"Why are you in Zuko's room, Toph?"

"Jet?" Her eyes widened and she seemed ready to retreat back into the room.

"Hey, I'm not interrupting anything am I?" he said, sticking his head round the door. "No, I'm not. Zuko's not even here. Why _are_ you here?" He was highly interested now.

"I was… just…" Her voice got quieter as she went along.

"Juuuust… waiting for him to get back? If I was five minutes later would you be naked?" He thought for a second, then, to himself, "Would I want that..?"

Toph huffed. "Go away, Jet. There's nothing suspicious here." As a girl tried to shut him out of a room for a second time that morning, he once again stopped her.

"But there is. Toph, the shy little blind girl, focusing all her energy into her sports and Zuko, the dark-hearted black sheep, who desperately needs a sweet young girl to help him come out of himself… And now Toph is in his bedroom, alone, but why?"

"You've been watching The OC or something."

"Skins. And I'd love it if you invited me in, we can wait for him together."

Toph coughed. Jet smirked at her. "Well, I'm not really waiting for him."

This struck Jet as odd. "Then… what? You're copying his notes? You're going through his underwear draw? The suspense is killing me!"

She blushed. "No! That wouldn't do me any good anyway."

"True. Although you must have thought it out to know that."

She blushed brighter. "Or you're just a pervert." She moved away from the door to let him in. "I was, just, sorting something out."

He looked around the room, not having been here for a while. Toph shut the door behind him and turned to where she had apparently been sitting before, Zuko's desk. Jet noticed a few things had changed since he'd been here last. Zuko had stopped putting all his clothes away instantly, as some lay crumpled on the floor. He had also removed a photo that Jet had commented on once from his bedside. Toph cleared her throat to draw Jet back to the real world.

"He may be a while. He's getting his head patched up."

"Really? What happened?" Jet smirked, enjoying his own sense of humour. "Rough, are you?"

She ignored him. "Katara hit him."

He laughed. "Ah, why? Not that she ever needs a reason; she really can't stand him…"

Toph half smiled. "He said something she didn't like, I suppose."

Jet let his smirk die. "Let's be serious for a moment." Toph frowned. He brushed off some papers and sat on the desk. "What am I missing?" He looked down hard at her, sitting in the chair next to him, and she couldn't help feel awkward.

"I don't know." She squirmed away from his eyes.

"Yeah, you do. You and Zuko. You're not really doing anything together, so why are you in his room?" His eyes bore into her, the light heartedness he usually had about him had been shelved for now.

"I'm… just. Here."

"Listen Toph, I know you're a sweet girl, but I don't recommend you play around with Zuko." He leaned in so that their faces were close and his words would have more impact. "Because," he held her chin gently and turned her face so their eyes met. "I care about him. And you're not to mess him up." The statement, although perfectly calm, was totally threatening. He got up and walked over to the door without looking back. As he opened it, he said one last thing.

"Play nice."

And with that, he left.


	6. Chapter 5

**Five**

It was half an hour later that Zuko was finally allowed to go back to his dorm. When he did, he was curious as to why the door was unlocked. He was also curious as to why there was a girl slumped on his bed, picking at her removed hairband. He stayed firmly in the doorway until she eventually noticed him.

"Zuko." Her voice wavered a little.

"What's wrong. Why are you in my room?"

She seemed further upset by his flat tone. Obviously, he wanted her out of there. "Well. I, I was just getting something."

"Oh right, sorry. I did say I'd bring that back if you wanted."

Toph fell back to picking at the puffballs on her hairband. "Yeah, but then Katara would think something was going on."

"Well it isn't. So who cares?"

She smiled, dolefully. "I know that. She's the one who hit you over it."

Zuko didn't respond. He came into the room fully, shut his door a little too sharply and marched over to her. "Well did you find it?" She shook her head. Zuko turned to the abandoned laundry, digging through it in vain, and then looking underneath his bed. Eventually he found what he was looking for hidden under his desk.

"You can't have looked very hard. It was right there," he frowned. Toph looked at him unhappily, unwilling to be thought of as someone who came into people's rooms under false pretences.

Zuko wasn't seriously worried about her being in here. She had, after all, only come to get her shirt back. And even if she hadn't, it didn't really matter. He passed her the crumpled garment and she took it quickly. She wouldn't look at him now. He sighed, dropping down to sit next to her.

"Toph." She didn't turn. "Toph. Why don't you tell her what happened?"

With that she looked. "Because," she said stubbornly. She shoved her hairband back down behind her ears and folded her arms before looking back at the wall.

"Because what?"

Toph slammed a fist down on the bed. "I SAID NO. That's all you need to hear!"

Zuko jerked away from her, not having seen her angry before and as such unprepared to face her wrath. At least with Katara, it was expected. The two fell to silence. He wondered why this was bugging her so much. It almost seemed… like Toph wanted her friend to think badly of her. But why would she want that? As he considered this, Toph drooped down into the sheets and made an indistinct snuffling noise. As she seemed perfectly capable of biting his head off, Zuko was inclined not to ask if she was crying.

"You and Katara are good friends." Toph made a noise that sounded vaguely positive.

"So… why don't you want to tell her the truth?"

For a long time she didn't say anything, then, "Because she'll think I'm stupid."

Zuko was surprised. "No she won't. You didn't do anything stupid?"

Toph was still buried in his sheets. Her muffled reply came out as, "She would. She did before."

"What?" Risking it, Zuko gingerly reached out to pat her back, attempting to comfort her. She jolted away, pushing further into the bed.

"I'm _not_ stupid."

"No, you're not." After a pause, Toph rescinded from her hideaway, pulling herself out of the burrow she'd made and rolling over to face the other wall. Zuko could still not see her face that way, but it was slightly less withdrawn.

"It's just…" she sniffed, "Katara doesn't know what it's- it's like to be like me."

"Hey," Zuko soothed. He held her shoulder and pulled her away from the wall so he could see her. She had indeed been crying, or holding it in, her face was red and streaky and her eyes were damp. "Tell me about it…?" She let him keep her body facing up at him, but turned her head away.

"Katara's so pretty. She thinks everything's so…" She stopped momentarily, wiping her face. "So easy. She thinks boys are easy, they all like her. But she's _wrong. _It's only easy for _her. _She should try being like _me._"

"Oh." Nothing more constructive to say on his part.

"It's just… She has a brother, right? Do you know him?"

"I've heard about him."

"Well," she scrunched up her face, "A few years ago, I-I had a huge crush on him. But he never even noticed the stupid, little, blind girl following his sister around, did he? NO! All he cares about is that stupid, tall, pretty girlfriend of his! And the saddest part is…" She looked morosely up at Zuko. "I really thought I had a chance. Ha, some chance after all…"

He smiled sadly down at her. "Well, maybe you could do better? After all, you're sweet, and you ARE pretty, I'm sure you could find anyone you wanted."

She rubbed her eyes dry, staring in awe at Zuko. "You really mean that?" He nodded. She smiled widely back. Quickly, with both parties now content, the situation became awkward. Zuko pulled away and sat up straight, clearing his throat and looking off towards the opposite wall. Toph stretched out, sighing and cleaning herself up.

"So…" Zuko breezed.

"Yeeah."

"Tell her the truth, now?"

Toph shrugged. "Sure, don't want you to get hit again."

"Good. Uh, me neither."

Toph bit a knuckle, embarrassed. "Uh… I am sorry, though."

"Don't worry about it. You needed somewhere to sleep, I had room."

"Yeah. But you know… I really was just using it to make her think something had happened. I just didn't mean her for to find out I was with _you_."

He laughed nervously. "Well, me either. Things happen. Don't forget your shirt." He picked it up and waved it in her direction. She felt around and took it, uncreasing it as she spoke.

"Sorry about that, too. It was… hot."

"That's alright. People always say it's hot in my room, for some reason. Like I have a fire going all year round." She sniggered.

"Oh, heh heh, I may leave that bit out."

Zuko glanced at her, smirking. "Yeah. Katara may hit me again if she found out you slept in my bed with just a vest on."

"I had JEANS, too. And besides, you slept at the other side."

"It's still a single bed."

"A GIANT single bed!"

They both giggled. Briefly, the innocent little banter seemed to change from Zuko's point of view. He realised something he hadn't thought of at the time. Innocent or not, he had in fact slept with a girl in the same bed, something he had never done before. It just seemed slightly… strange to bear thinking about. His laughter faded, but Toph's continued. She didn't seem to notice until he coughed, and she realised he wasn't smiling anymore.

"You should go, then."

"Oh. OK..." She got up, a little weirded out by his sudden change of mood, and went towards the door. He followed her. At the door he and she both paused, silently asking which of them was going to open it first. It seemed it would be Toph, as she reached out a hand and held the handle for a moment. He stayed still, looking at her, and she unable to look back at him. Eventually, she pulled the door open. Before leaving, she turned around to say goodbye. She opened her mouth but the word stuck in her throat, leaving her stuttering. Zuko didn't seem to really notice.

"Goodbye," he said.

"'Bye," she muttered. As she started out, he put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, come around whenever you want, alright?"

Not quite managing a reply, she nodded. He smiled. But now, Toph faced the new issue of not being able to leave. As she herself had said, she had a lot of trouble getting people to see past her sightlessness. Specifically guys. And now, she was stuck between a rock and a hard place - specifically, her loyalty to her friend and her own sense of comfort. And all the time she was trying to decide, she was hanging in Zuko's doorway with her mouth a bit open. Looking, quite simply, obvious. He had noticed, obviously. She was frozen solid and stumbling over her words, none of which were making it all the way out of her mouth. He was in a similar position himself; he was just handling it better. Zuko was not able to talk to girls. Zuko was barely able to look in the general direction of girls. For some reason, every girl that ever talked to him was a drooling idiot or followed it up with a punch. Toph was not. This was giving him the original problem of not having the vaguest idea of how to talk to girls. So now they were both standing in his doorway, doing nothing.

"'Bye," he said. She nodded again quickly, and scurried off around a corner, out of sight.


	7. Chapter 6

**Six**

Gnawing on a pen, in a rare appearance at class, Jet sat and tried to take in some of what was being said. He still wasn't quite sure what had made him say that yesterday. But something about Toph had annoyed him, and he didn't like to keep things bottled up. He was still curious about why she had been there. Eventually, his class ended and he wandered off to find someone or something to do. In the corridor, he spotted a familiar plait bobbing out of a different lecture.

"Hey Katara."

"Not now, Jet." She seemed distracted and, therefore, more likely to attack him if he got on her last nerve.

"OK. Later."

He went off again, this time stopping after a while when he saw a head of messy brown hair approach.

"Hey Toph." This time, said with less enthusiasm.

She stopped and turned in the direction of his voice. "Oh, Jet? Listen, I'm kind of busy…" He noticed she had a letter held tight in her hand. Not just a casual looking letter from home, but a much fancier sort of thing.

"What's that?"

"Nothing," she said, irritated - and spoken far too quickly.

"Who wrote it? It looks fancy!" Jet yanked at the envelope, struggling hard to pull it away from her, but managing to hold it high enough to make her let go. He pulled the letter out and scanned it. Toph gulped. Jet's expression fell slightly. "This is just some stupid invitation. Why were you hiding it?" Toph did not answer. He read through it again, just to be sure.

"This is for one of those stupid debutant ball things. All prissy dresses and shit."

"Exactly, so why do you care? Now give it back!" Toph waved madly at the letter, but he held it away from her.

"Waaait. Hold it - I recognise this name from somewhere. Why do I know her…?" As he thought on this, she bit her lip and tried once more to grab the invitation. "Aha! This is Zuko's little sister's party! Why are you invited?" He smirked at her. "You're not engaged now or anything?"

He finally let Toph snatch the letter. "Idiot. The Bei Fong family always gets invited to these sorts of parties. And I have to go to this one, my parents won't let me use the 'I need to focus on my studies' excuse anymore, not since they last had dinner with the school chancellor."

Jet sniggered and she gave him a cutting look. "So, can I see your dress?"

"I don't have a dress yet; my parents will probably pick out something awful and girly and send it to me. Gag."

"Ah. Well, has Zuko heard yet?"

"Probably. It's his sister."

Meanwhile, Zuko was reading and making notes in his room. His quiet study was interrupted by a loud knock on the door. He tried to ignore it, but the knocker was very determined. With a sigh, he got up to answer it. He was delighted to see it was Jet, so delighted that he tried to slam the door in his face. Jet was already inside by the time it shut.

"So you heard about this?" He waved a letter at Zuko, who snatched it aggressively and read it. His anger turned into shock and horror as he finished.

"Where did you get this?"

"You don't get your mail very often."

Zuko glared at him. "Why did they give you my letters? Whatever, why did you read my letter? How did you know about this?"

"Toph."

Zuko's anger faded to shock again. "Toph? Is she going?"

"_The Bei Fong family always gets invited to these sorts of parties!_" he mimicked.

"Well I wish I didn't."

"It's your sister's debutant ball; you have to go, don't you?" Jet sprawled out on Zuko's bed, casually messing it up.

"Yes. But I wish I didn't. It'll just be another evening of my father praising my sister, whilst asking me why I haven't cut my hair and telling everyone I know how badly I'm doing at university."

"The ponytail is a bit girly," said Jet, without looking over.

Zuko ignored him. "And worst of all, he'll expect me to bring a girl."

"Why?"

Zuko walked over and pointed to the bottom of the invitation. "Plus one, see? But I don't _know_ any girls, especially not if Toph's going on her own…"

"So… the answer is obvious." Zuko stared at Jet, not getting what was so obvious. "Take me! You can just say you thought it would be better to invite your best friend, instead of some toffee-nosed girly!"

"You are NOT my best friend, Jet."

"Name three other friends that outrank me."

Zuko sighed, letting himself drop down onto the bed beside Jet. "You don't get it, alright? They expect me to bring a girl. Hell, half my old friends from home are engaged by now. Or engaged to be engaged. I don't want to be thought of as…"

"The gay one?" Jet cut in.

"The black sheep. And you have to admit, it would look pretty gay."

Jet smiled, badly. "Well, I bet Toph's taking Katara."

"So? They're girls, it's different."

"I don't know, just something she said…"

Zuko lurched at Jet, sticking his face right up against him, desperately. "What who said? Which one? What? Why?"

Jet pushed Zuko gently off him and brushed down his shirt. "Toph. A little something she said yesterday…" he paused, thinking, "When she was in here! I came in, and yes, things were said." He stopped, glancing at Zuko, who looking insanely curious. "Well, she just implied… that maybe she and Katara…" He cut himself short. "But you don't want to know that."

Zuko grabbed him by the collar and yelled, "Yes I do! What did she say?!"

"I don't remember exactly. But you know - if you were to take me as your plus one - I could maybe help keep an eye on the two of them, while you talk to your family, and tell you everything I see and hear."

Zuko dropped him, suddenly smiling gleefully. "Yes! That would be perfect! Then, if anything goes on - not that it should do! - I'll know about it first!"

"Exactly! See, it's perfect."

They finished making arrangements and then Jet left to go back to his own dorm room. As he went, he smiled to himself, happy that once again his smooth talking had got him somewhere he wanted to be. And this would most definitely be interesting.


	8. Chapter 7

**Seven**

"Are you sure it's safe for you to go to this thing?"

Toph stared at Katara, not exactly overjoyed by her faith in her. "Yes, Katara, I'm sure."

"There's no need to be so sarcastic. Just because he didn't try anything this time, and I'm amazed he didn't, doesn't mean he won't next time!"

"Please," Toph sighed, "I think if he wanted to, he would have done it by now."

Katara read through the invitation once again. "Well, hopefully he'll be busy anyway." She passed the letter back to Toph. "I don't know why I said I'd go with you, I hate these things."

Toph giggled. "No you don't! You love any excuse to dress up and act all girly and flirty!"

Katara blushed. "Well, not in this sort of company! And I'll have to try and find a dress…"

"I can lend you one of mine."

She smiled. "Thanks, Toph."

The two girls were back in their dorm room. Toph had, as expected, asked Katara to provide some comfort at the tedious ball this weekend. And naturally she had accepted. Katara was not from the sort of family that got invited to prestigious events, so she was always a little jealous of Toph. Toph, who hated them, was equally jealous that Katara's parents didn't mind what she did with her free time as long as her grades stayed up. Which is why it was always best when the two could go together - Katara got to enjoy the sort of life she didn't have, and Toph had someone to goof off with. Katara was watching Toph, who was lying on her bed playing with a paddle ball. She was surprisingly good at it.

"You know Toph, I wish you'd let me do your hair sometime."

Toph froze. "No, Katara, we've been over this, remember? I don't want to get all prettied up!"

"Oh, go on, it'll be fun!" Katara tip-toed over so Toph wouldn't be able to hear her as well. As soon as Toph realised she was cornered, she held up her hands to guard herself in vain. Katara grabbed her friend's hand and dragged her over to sit at the desk, opposite her prized mirror. Toph struggled to no avail.

"You'll love it, I promise!"

"I won't even get to see it! It's a waste of time!" Toph's protests fell on deaf ears, as Katara happily whipped out her bountiful hair products and set to work.

Finally, she finished up. As she was admiring her work, the door opened of its own accord. She looked over, surprised, to see Jet tucking a key into his pocket.

"Jet? How did you get another key?"

He shrugged, grinning. "Well, seeing as you have a key to my room, it's only fair I have one to yours. So I asked the girl in the office if she could find it in her heart to make me another spare."

"Get out of here!" Katara rushed to slam the door, just as he noticed Toph.

"Woah! Is that who it used to be?"

Katara, still delighted with her work, suddenly forgot that the person in the door was unwelcome. "Yes, do you like it? I worked really hard."

"It's unbelievable!"

"I can hear you!" Toph snapped, folding her arms and glaring at Jet.

"Hey check this out." Jet turned to someone outside. There was some muffled argument, and then he pulled Zuko into the room. "Look at her!"

Katara remembered she was mad. "Get out! Didn't I already say that?"

Jet shoved Zuko ahead of him then walked in, shutting the door behind them. Katara snarled but was ignored in favour of her creation. Toph's usually messy, uncontrolled hair and been brushed carefully back, held down and her scruffy hairband had been replaced with some pretty flower hairclips. If she could see herself, she probably would have cried. After a good long disbelieving stare, Jet turned back to Katara. Zuko remained half focused on Toph.

"Anyway," Jet said, "I heard you two are going to a certain debbie-ball this weekend?"

"So?" Katara spat. "And it's 'debutant'."

"Well, so are we."

"Why are _you_ going?" she asked him, staring long and hard. He refused to be taken in.

"I'm Zuko's plus one."

"Figures."

Jet smiled. "Well, we were just wondering - if you don't have anyone else…" He shot a meaningful look at Zuko. "That maybe you'd be in need of some dates?"

Katara laughed, and when she spoke the sarcasm was practically dripping from her tongue. "Oh what a lovely thought, Jet. When did you get so thoughtful?"

Seeing an opportunity and choosing to ignore her tone, Jet seized her by the waist. Smirking, he said "Great! So I'll go with you, and Zuko can go with Toph?"

Katara forced him off her, digging her sharp little nails into his hands. "Not in a million years!"

"Well if you wanted Zuko so badly you could have just said," he pouted, moving over to the other girl. He twiddled a strand of her hair, meaningfully. "I don't mind having Tophee."

"Get away from her!"

"Yeah, get off me!" Toph shoved him away and stood up, finally asserting herself into the conversation. "We don't want to go with either of you, do we Katara?"

"No we don't. Now get out of here!"

Katara, not so gently, led the two boys out of their room. Before either could protest, she slammed the door in their faces. After several moments of silence, Jet smiled at Zuko.

"Told you they were crushing on one another."

Zuko watched in despair as Jet wandered off to assault some other poor girl. He wondered how he always ended up getting mixed up in these sorts of things, and with these sorts of people. But, as there was nothing else to do, he went off to go and pack a few things for the weekend.

Meanwhile, Katara was still fuming inside the room. Toph was brushing her hair madly at the point where Jet had touched it in some frenzied attempt to cleanse herself. As she eventually started to cool off, Katara reminded herself to get a second lock put on the door. She was desperately tempted to redo the one side of Toph's hair, but knew she'd pushed her enough for one day. Instead, she settled for talking about clothes.

"So what kind of dress are you going to wear?"

"I don't really care. Maybe something green?" She set the hairbrush down.

Katara rolled her eyes. "I don't get it - you've got all these pretty clothes and you just don't seem to care."

"This will be why they are at my parent's house and not here with me."

"Oh well." She sighed. A thought came to her. "You know…" She went to sit beside Toph. "Maybe Jet made a little sense, we could probably use dates."

Toph pulled a face. "Really? You know the sort of people that will be going, right?"

"If those two are anything to go by…" she muttered glumly, but then tried to seem enthusiastic again. "But maybe some of the people going won't be so bad."

"No. They will."

"You're probably right," Katara sighed again. "Just some stupid rich boys…"

"Well, if you find anyone nice don't worry about me." As if to signify the end of conversation, Toph went back to her bed and started to boredly play with her paddle ball again. Katara watched for a moment before starting to brush her own hair, thinking on the subject. Just because Toph wasn't interested didn't mean she wasn't.


	9. Chapter 8

**Eight**

Zuko stared out of the window of the car, at the greying sky and withering plants. The dismal scenery matched his mood. Thank goodness for predictable British whether. Jet sat next to him, more interested in his book than the view. The idea that Jet could be so focused on reading had been almost eerie until Zuko had noticed he had a magazine tucked inside. At any rate, both of them were trying to make the journey pass as quickly as possible. It was Saturday morning, and a car had arrived to pick Zuko up and whisk him away to his parent's house as early as seven thirty. The driver had been inclined to refuse to let Jet come anywhere near his car, until Zuko had regretfully insisted he was his plus one. Now, Jet nudged Zuko once again and tried to coax him into looking over at what he was reading. Zuko once again refused. He'd looked over once earlier in the journey and had needed the driver to pull over at the nearest available space so he could get out for some air.

"Fine." Jet muttered.

Zuko glared out the window. He half wished the car would hit a cow, career off the road and wind up in a ditch. He smiled at the thought of being carried off by paramedics, who unfortunately wouldn't be able to get to either of the others, and taken to hospital with amnesia. At which point he would be offered a job in the gift shop, could build up a sum of money, rent a small apartment and live happily ever after away from everyone he had ever met. Jet watched him curiously.

"What are you so happy about?" Before Zuko could answer he assumed the worst and continued. "That's OK. It's pretty obvious."

Zuko frowned. He looked down at the floor, this time hoping that when the paramedics came, they would find him brutally crushed, Jet alive and well and, unable to see the driver, blame Jet for the crash. At this point they would cart his sorry ass off to prison where he could make plenty of friends who shared his way of thinking.

Jet yawned. "What are the girls gonna be like at this thing?"

"I don't know."

"Sure you do. Mind, if they're anything like you I'll have to watch my tongue."

Zuko grimaced as Jet smiled at his own pun. "Do you get it? Tongue? Like, as in…"

"Yes. I get it."

"Pfft, no you don't." Jet slammed his book shut and tossed it on the floor. Zuko could only imagine how much trouble he would be in when one of the staff found it later. "But really, what are your local girls like?" He grinned. "Any pretty ones?"

"Not really."

"Do you have dibs on any?"

"Of course not." Zuko shoved Jet before folding his arms moodily.

"No, I mean like ex-girlfriends. Anyone you don't want me to touch?"

"No-one like that."

Jet frowned at Zuko. "You mean that, in your own hometown, there isn't _one _girl you're even remotely fond of?"

"WHY is that so hard to believe?"

Jet laughed, shaking his head. "Wow, your parents are right, you _are_ gay!"

"No I'm _not_. You- you just don't know them like I do!" Zuko snarled.

"So…?"

"They're a bunch of stuck up, prissy little bubbleheads!"

"Every one of them?" Jet said in disbelief.

"Yes."

"Wow - It'll be like Christmas!" Jet grinned, losing interest in his companion and drifting into far beyond PG-13 thoughts. Zuko watched him fade away with some horror. This time, his only thought regarding the car was that it sail off a cliff and kill them both.

As this scene played out, a far more pleasant one was happening in another car nearby. Katara and Toph's car had arrived a little later in the morning, making them both more cheerful than the boys. In addition, they actually enjoyed each others company, and so their banter was much friendlier. Katara had, admittedly, spent a lot of the journey talking about shoes, but now they'd settled into a discussion about the good old days.

"Do you remember when we used to go camping together?"

"Oh yeah!" Katara laughed, "I always got mad because you wouldn't help set up the tent."

"Yeah. It was always me, you, Sokka and… uh, what was that boy's name again?"

"You mean Aang?"

"Oh right, Aang. Now I remember. He had such a crush on you."

"Oh, I don't know…" Katara muttered. Toph smiled, as if she was being stupid on purpose.

"Yeah he did! He loved you."

"Maybe." She thought for a moment, glancing idly out the window. "You know I haven't thought about him for ages."

"Eh." Toph shrugged. "Didn't he go join a monastery or something?"

"No, he went into… well… basically."

"Right."

Katara no longer felt like talking. The rest of their drive passed in near silence. As did Zuko's and Jet's, interrupted only by crude comments from Jet's end of the car. Eventually, the first car pulled up outside Zuko's old house. The door was opened for him and he stepped out, taking in the old sights. It had been the best part of a year. Most other students came home for holidays, but Zuko preferred to stay on campus. He had forgotten a little of the sight of his house. The front garden was painted red with the dying leaves in the trees, which stood protecting the house from the outside world. The building itself was tall and royal-looking, huge and majestic and by far the most terrifying place he had ever been. As Jet climbed out of the car, he caught a good look of it for the first time and was also struck with awe. However, for him it was just the shock of seeing such an expensive looking mansion, there were no memories attached.

"Woooah…" He tutted at Zuko. "Why haven't you ever invited me home before?"

Zuko didn't answer. Head down as he had practiced time and again, he went up to the front door and rang the bell. He heard footsteps echoing down the cavernous corridor inside long before the door was answered. When it was, he was greeted by a young maid who led him and, rather distastefully, Jet through to the drawing room. Jet took a seat without a thought but Zuko waited to be invited, even though it was in fact his own home. Shortly, his father entered the room, bringing with him a feeling of discomfort. He motioned for Zuko to sit and did likewise.

"How are you doing in school?"

"Fine," Zuko mumbled, "I'm doing a lot better lately."

"I'll believe it when I see it. I don't suppose you've done anything else noteworthy?"

"Not… really."

"Oh." His father stared hard at him, unnerving him and making Zuko feel once again like he was barely thirteen. "Sometimes I don't know why you even bother to come back here."

"You invited me," he whispered.

"Actually, I believe your sister invited you. She's been preparing extremely hard for this, you know. But that's Azula; she always puts everything she's got into her duties." There was another stare and pause. "You probably don't know how humiliating it is to have such a brilliant daughter, whilst my son rots away at some expensive university, wasting my money and amounting to nothing."

As Zuko shrunk further into himself, Jet let out a single chord of laughter. Both of the others turned to him. Zuko's father seemed to be noticing him for the first time, giving him a once over and seeming highly displeased with what he saw. Noticing this, Zuko looked fearfully back at Jet, who didn't seem to notice.

"Sorry. It's just that you seem to think Zuko's some dumb yuppie-kid. And quite frankly, I don't see what's so great about your daughter, either."

Zuko's heart may very well have stopped at that moment. His father looked at him angrily.

"Did you let this boy in?"

Jet stood up and strode over to where Zuko was sitting, resting a hand protectively on the boy's shoulder. "He did."

"Jet!" Zuko hissed, to no avail.

"And why did you do that?"

Jet decided to play cards the best way he knew how. He wrapped his free hand around Zuko's shoulder, and when he spoke it was softer, secretive. "We're in love."

"Jet!" Zuko hissed, with more force this time. He was still ignored.

"_What_ did you say?"

Jet cocked Zuko's head towards his own, bringing his face down so they could look into one another's eyes. "We're in love. And nothing you can say is going to break us apart." Jet smiled warmly at Zuko, who was just preparing the boy's funeral plans in his mind. Jet went for the icing on the cake. He pushed forward, joining their lips and sealing Zuko's fate. It took a moment for him to quite accept what Jet had done. It didn't seem possible that, after all he had told him about wanting to fit into his father's view of an ideal son; he would positively blow it for him for life. But he had. And as Zuko finally managed to break away from the kiss, he saw that his father had left. If he hadn't been the black sheep before, there was no doubt now that his reputation was tarnished irreversibly. After letting this sink in for a moment, he wheeled on Jet.

"What would make you do SUCH a stupid thing? And in front of my father!" You could almost see the fire in his eyes.

Jet shrugged, not seeing the seriousness. "Hey, I wasn't going to let him talk to you like that. I just did the only thing I could think of."

Zuko's fists balled and he leapt up, bearing into Jet who for once seemed genuinely wary. "You don't even know what you've done!"

"Hey!" Seizing control, Jet jabbed a finger at Zuko. "Believe it or not, I do actually care about you. And I don't want to see you just sit there and take a load like that!" he yelled, anger rising to match Zuko's.

"If you cared you wouldn't have RUINED MY LIFE!"

Zuko ran off in what was assumedly the direction of his old bedroom. Jet was left standing alone in the drawing room, guilt slowly creeping into him. He tried to shake it off, and hurried away to look for somewhere to sit down and think.


	10. Chapter 9

**Nine**

Toph sighed heavily, flicking off another pair of shoes. They'd been doing this for an hour now, and she had been deadly bored 58 minutes ago. Katara, with much more enthusiasm, emerged from the walk-in closet wearing a hugely poofy purple dress. Toph got up and went over to feel which dress she had picked out.

"Do you like this one?"

Toph sniggered. "Please. My mother bought this when she was our age."

Katara frowned and went back in to pick something else. Toph returned to her pile of rejected shoes and grabbed the next pair to try. Pretty much ever since they had arrived they had been trying to pick out clothes for the ball the next day. One with more joy than the other. Shortly, Katara reappeared, this time in some terribly short blue number.

"You can't wear that one!" Toph said, when she realised which it was. "It barely goes to _my_ knees, let alone yours!"

"Fine…"

This ritual continued for another half an hour, until eventually Katara was satisfied. At this point, she turned her attention to her friend. Toph had finally chosen a pair of shoes, flats of course, but hadn't even gone into the closet yet. She was yanked in and Katara loaded her up with a ton of different dresses to try. As she tried to complain, Katara shushed her and went off to take her own time with the shoe pile. Eventually, after a long and painstaking trial, both girls were content. Deciding to take a break from 'work', as Katara said, the two headed downstairs to get something to eat. As they did so, Katara felt her mobile beep in her pocket. She told Toph she'd catch up as she whipped it out to read the text.

'_have rly messed thngs up wit Z, plz can u tlk?'_

Assuming from the spelling she knew who it was, and confirming it by looking up the number, she wondered why in the world Jet would be asking her for help. The only times he ever talked to her nowadays were to show off or to proposition her. But, if he was telling the truth, maybe he actually did need help.

Jet was lying on the bed in one of the spare bedrooms when his phone went off. He hurried to answer it, glad to hear Katara on the other end.

"What have you done?"

Jet hesitated before answering. "It's kind of complicated. How much do you know about Zuko's family?"

"Just that they're a bunch of pretentious idiots."

"Great… listen, are you busy? I don't know if I can talk this all out over the phone…"

"I swear Jet, if this is a trick…"

"No! I need your help on this one, you're…" He paused uncomfortably. "A lot more sensitive than me."

She laughed. "You've got that right. Fine, where did you have in mind?"

Twenty minutes later Katara arrived on mutual ground, in this case a park in between Zuko and Toph's houses. She saw Jet pretty much straight away, hovering on the edge of a swing and kicking about in the dirt. He smiled when he saw her, but she ignored it and went to sit next to him, hoping to just get on with things. Jet started to slowly rock back and forth on his swing as he spoke.

"I think Zuko hates me."

"Other than the fact that everyone hates you, what would give you that idea?"

"Well, his father was yelling at him for not being a happy little overachiever like his sister - blahblah 'try harder', blahblah 'wasting money', blahblah 'disappointment'… and, uh, I kind of spoke up for him."

Katara sighed. "I can _absolutely_ see why he'd hate you for that."

"The sarcasm isn't necessary." He frowned. "Anyway, I've been in that sort of situation before. Some girl gets the idea that I'm a half decent guy, but when they take me home their parents end up feeding them a load about how disappointing it is they've amounted to this, and that sort of thing."

"This will be why I never brought you home."

"Funny. It's not like I've ever had any other experience with that sort of thing, so, I may have…"

"Wait." Katara stared at Jet, suddenly interested. "Don't tell me you did what I think you did?"

"Acted as if Zuko was my latest girlfriend? Yeah. It almost worked, I think his dad hates me too now. Usually, they shift all the hate onto me…"

Katara dropped her head into her hands. "I can't believe you."

"It gets worse." He swung higher, looking off into the distance. "There may have been… kissing involved."

"You actually KISSED him? In front of his family?"

"I may have also declared… undying love…"

"And you're still ALIVE?" Katara clicked her tongue, shaking her head. "I'd say 'you must be an excellent kisser', but… well."

Jet laughed. "Someone's memory ain't what it used to be!"

Katara couldn't help but giggle a little. She started to swing too. Fun wasn't usually on the agenda in this sort of company, it was nice to forget once in a while. Besides, the current situation had to be enjoyed at least a bit.

"So what do I do?" Jet said, scrapping to a halt. Katara also stopped, having forgotten that she'd been asked here to solve problems.

"Well…" she thought, "Did you apologise?"

"Kind of."

She frowned. "Why don't you show him you didn't mean it?"

"But I did mean it." Seeing her face light up with shock, he quickly added "Not the love part! Just that I didn't want him to have to put up with crap like that, and I just wanted to help."

"Oh." She thought again, for considerably longer this time. "Aha! Why don't you show his father how wrong he is tomorrow night? You could organise something to show Zuko isn't, well, whatever."

"That's a good idea." Jet looked at Katara. She looked back at him questioningly. "You know, I didn't think you'd actually help." He smiled. "It's nice to know you care."

"I don't care, about you or Zuko." She got off the swing and started to leave. She stopped briefly, without looking around. "As you said, I'm just more sensitive than you." And then she left.

Jet watched the space she had been for a long time. Slowly, sighing, he rocked back and forth, his feet not leaving the ground. He had been stupid again. Every single time, he got caught up in a moment or a joke and it got out of hand. It seemed that maybe he just couldn't help hurting people. Gaining speed, he realised that this was probably why no-one trusted him much. Even when he made friendships last, something happened and it all went to pieces. He hadn't seen any of his old, good friends for a long while now. The swing screeched in protest as he forced it higher. He also noticed that Katara was the only girl he'd spent more than two weeks with. That was odd, seeing as she wasn't his type and they hadn't got on. Then again, the girls who were his type… were pathetic. That was pretty obvious. Maybe he'd liked that Katara had seen some hope in him, something she'd wanted to draw out. Except that he hadn't let her. He'd done what he always did, he'd closed off, he'd been an ass, and he'd wrecked it. Finally, pulling his consciousness away from brooding, he leapt off the swing, landing on all fours in the dirt. He stood up, tutting at his newly torn jeans and walked stiffly out of the park. The swing wavered back and forth without a passenger, before reaching its dying crawl and eventually stopping dead.


	11. Chapter 10

**Ten**

Zuko had his face buried in a pillow. He had not yet cooled off after Jet's little outburst, and it didn't seem likely anytime soon. He'd been in his room ever since, hoping he wouldn't be able to find him as it was one of far too many. What would make Jet do something like that? It seemed insane, even for him. And now, thanks to him, his father was likely to disown him fully. As if the past few years hadn't been enough… He was so immersed in self pity, that he had not heard the door open, shut, and someone come over to the bed. As such, he was shocked when they flipped him over onto his back. He snarled as he caught himself looking up into the annoyingly laid-back face of his temporary enemy. He tried to push him away, but Jet pinned his arms. He tried to kick him off, but Jet climbed up and pinned his legs down too. Zuko glared at him, trapped like a Lemur in a cage.

"I'm sorry."

"No you're not," Zuko spat.

Jet sighed. "Yes, I am." He attempted a smile, succeeding too quickly. "I didn't want to hurt you."

"You're hurting me now!"

"I'd let go, but then you'd try and hurt me back."

"Of course I would! Get off of me!" Zuko struggled, but Jet was a little too strong for him. His wrists and legs remained firmly pinned down.

"Let me explain."

"NO!"

Jet ignored him, making sure not to ease up on his holds. "I treated you like a… I didn't think about what it would do to you." He looked away from Zuko's face. "But - I am not sorry that I stood up for you. Someone had to."

He stopped fighting. "What?"

Jet still looked at the wardrobe rather than the boy he had pinned to the bed. "You weren't ever going to fight back, were you? You'd have just sat there and taken it forever."

"Maybe that would have been better…" Zuko answered, scornfully. Just for good measure, he tried to kick Jet again. However, having lost his focus, Jet had also lost his grip. His leg slipped when Zuko lashed out at him, causing his whole balance to fall in. He landed straight down, knocking the wind out of the one he fell on. "Ow… please get off me now," he whimpered.

"Sorry." Jet pulled himself up, taking a seat a way across the room instead. Zuko sat up a bit, folding his arms and staring back at Jet, obviously hoping there was a longer apology to come. There wasn't.

"I'd almost forgotten - Katara gave me an idea."

"Do I want to know what it is..?"

Jet laughed sarcastically. "Yeah, real funny. Well, she says we should sort out some stunt at the party to make you look good and… things. For your family."

Zuko narrowed his eyes. "I don't know why I'd trust her. Or you, right now."

"Because she's smart and it'll make everything better?"

"And what if it makes it worse?" Zuko pouted, locking his arms tighter across his chest.

Jet smirked. "I'll ask Katara to kiss it better."

Zuko cleared his throat. "Don't be stupid. Fine, I'll listen to your little plan…"

There was a pause. "I don't really have anything more than that."

"Oh come on!"

Jet thought. Suddenly, an idea hit him and he grinned. Instinctively, Zuko simultaneously looked worried. "OK, the problem is that your father thinks you're a fairy boy who can't keep up with his little sister, yes?" Zuko begrudgingly nodded. "So we have to show him you're not. What better way than to hook you up with a girl, ey? That way you can clear up any gay vibes he may have picked up on, and if we can find one that'll act the part he'll be impressed too."

Zuko snorted. "That will never work."

"Oh, don't worry, I'll find you a girl."

"That's not what I meant!"

Jet had already whipped out his phone. "Let's see… I don't really know anyone within a reasonable distance. Guess I'll have to hit a couple of places tonight."

"You'll be the death of me…" Jet looked at him, smirking, and shaking his head. He wandered over to the bed again, seeing Zuko tense up in case he tried to jump him again. Zuko frowned. "What?"

"You have no faith in me."

"Uh, sure I do, just not with something like this."

"So I can't be trusted with anything important?"

"No," Zuko felt irritatingly awkward now. "Just… things like this, you don't know enough about my family."

"I know enough to know you shouldn't _have_ to be fussing with this sort of thing…"

They were both quiet for a second. Zuko examined Jet's face. It betrayed no real emotion, just the skin deep look of satisfaction he always had. Nothing real. Then, Jet coughed, he stretched out and looked off at the furniture again. Zuko hated when he did that, it made him even harder to read. Then, catching him out, Jet said something else.

"Look, whatever. I'm sorry I kissed you earlier."

"Well…" Zuko blushed, averting his gaze also to something away from his companion. "You should be."

That made Jet slightly annoyed. He laughed, short and sharp, then wheeled around to face Zuko again. "Yeah I should be. You're such a loser; it was probably your first kiss, too."

"What?" Zuko turned on Jet, balling his fists. "I am not a loser! You're the one who did it!"

Jet leaned down over Zuko, pressing him up against the wall and unnerving him. "Well was it?" His breath was heavy and unpleasant in Zuko's face. He didn't leave any room for him to pull away.

"No," Zuko stuttered, but it wasn't believable enough.

Jet laughed again, right up close this time. "Yeah, I thought so. You really are a loser." With that, he pushed up, standing at his full height. He marched towards the door, hoping to leave on that note, but was interrupted.

"You're the loser, Jet," The words were practically dripping with spite. Jet didn't turn around to hear them, letting them fall against his back instead. "You think you're so great? You must think everyone loves you, the great and marvellous Jet, talk of all the boys and love of all the girls. Well you're _wrong_. No-one loves you, Jet. No-one's ever loved you. Not even Katara, although you won't leave her alone, will you? Do you even have any friends, Jet?"

Before he turned around he could feel what was going to happen. He knew he was going to do it again, wreck another friendship; he couldn't ever just say sorry and let it go. When he did turn, Zuko saw that maybe he'd gone too far. Jet's eyes had narrowed; his scowl was stronger than he'd ever seen before. He stomped over to him once again, but this time he was furious. Zuko had never seen this side of him before. Few people had. It was a shock. Jet slammed down, pinning him again, this time actually trying to squeeze his wrists too hard.

"You think you're so smart?" he yelled. Zuko tried to turn away from him, but Jet just jerked his face back. "Do you? You little rich-kid brat? People like you have been looking down on me since I was a kid. You aren't so great. Your own father hates you, your sister shows you up. Katara hates you, and she doesn't even know you like I do. Hey, even Toph couldn't bear the thought that you two were an item. You know why? You're a whiney, pathetic little brat, just like everyone thinks. Hey maybe your father _is_ right - maybe you do just sit around and waste time and money. Who the hell wants you around anyway?"

Zuko didn't reply. He couldn't. Whereas Jet may be able to recover from an attack in a second and send it flying back as anger, Zuko couldn't. Not when it was that fierce. He just lay there; seemingly oblivious to the pressure on his wrists and legs, oblivious to the furious boy perched over him, oblivious to everything. Instead, a sequence ran through his head. He was younger. He'd just heard his mother had died. However, instead of offering any comfort, his father had shut him out, thinking only of his 'worthy' child, Azula. He may have a scar on his face, but that mental scar was the one he always thought of. Not that Jet could see it. All Jet saw was a burn; he didn't see all the traumas behind it. And so he didn't think before he yelled all those things. It took a lot of energy not to let it out.

Not getting a response, Jet loosened his grip without actually moving. He wanted to apologise, but he was stung and he wouldn't let himself. "I am sorry I kissed you. I don't know why I did it. I usually have better taste than that," although he was calm by this point, he was still just spitting in a wound. Zuko still didn't say anything. Now Jet began to worry a little. "I didn't mean it when I said your father was right," he muttered. Too little, too late, and there was yet again no reply. "Hey, talk to me!" Jet shook Zuko by the shoulders, but he just screwed up his face and turned away as much as possible. "What's wrong with you?"

"Nothing," Zuko whimpered. Now Jet saw it. He had been trying exceedingly hard not to start crying. But now, Jet had forced him to talk and it was too late. What an asshole he was. He brushed the first trickle away from Zuko's face.

"I'm sorry," he whispered. Then he got up and left the room, leaving Zuko miserable and confused. Which, quite honestly, was how he left most people - lying on a bed, wondering what they'd done wrong.


	12. Chapter 11

**Eleven**

Finally it was time. Zuko had spent the weekend hiding from everyone, and Jet had spent it hiding from Zuko. Katara had repicked her dress/shoes/make-up a hundred times, and Toph had helped her whilst avoiding her parents and their questions about her life. But now, it was time for the ball at last.

Zuko was combing his hair in his room. There was a knock at the door, which he ignored. Whoever it was knocked again, louder, and so he went to answer it, hoping it wasn't Jet. It wasn't. Standing in the doorway was a girl whom he had never met before. She had brown hair held up in a thick ponytail, and warm eyes. She also seemed to be wearing a rather elaborate green dress. The sort usually worn to dances. She smiled gingerly and waited to be asked inside. Zuko obliged and let her come in.

"Are you Zuko?"

"Yes. Who are you?"

The girl ran a hand over her hair. "My name is Jin. I was asked to come and find you. Uh, this may sound a bit weird, but I met this boy yesterday and he asked me if I wanted to go to a ball. He said his friend needed a date…"

"Oh. Jet."

"Yes, that was his name."

Zuko looked her over. She was certainly pretty; Jet had done quite well for him. But he had no urge to take part in the plot he and Katara had cooked up. "I'm not sure that's a good idea, then."

"Oh, OK." Jin looked at her feet, uncomfortably. "Well, he said to tell you that you needed a new 'plus one', and I guess he figured I'd do… I'm sorry." She started to shuffle off the way she'd come, but he stopped her.

"Did you say I needed a new plus one?"

"Yes." That meant Jet wasn't coming. He wondered if it was to do with the incident yesterday, assuming it probably was and that Jet had, for once, decided to be selfless. He almost smiled. He noticed Jin had started to try and leave again and he once again cut her off.

"Well… maybe it would be alright after all, you seem… nice."

"You mean you want me to come?" she asked, surprised.

"If you want to."

"OK!" She smiled. "That'd be great."

"Great. I just have to finish getting ready then, see you later."

Meanwhile, a short way away, Katara and Toph were already dressed. Toph had picked out a relatively plain pale green dress and had grudgingly allowed Katara to make her hair 'pretty'. Katara on the other hand had finally settled on an elaborate dark blue gown that brushed the floor and ran like water. Katara was still giggly at the thought of it all.

"Do you think we should get there early?"

Toph shrugged. "We could, but who would we talk to?"

"I guess." Katara smiled and giggled for about the fifth time in as many minutes. "I just can't wait!"

"I don't know why. I mean, it's just a bunch of idiots gathering together to fuss over Zuko's little sister. I don't get why you're so excited."

"When you put it that way…" She fiddled with a strand of nearly perfect hair, then her eyes lit up as she remembered something. "Did I tell you..? You remember Suki founded that group a year or so ago?"

"Yeah." Toph suddenly turned her attention to her shoes.

"Well they've become really impressive; they do demonstrations and things all across the country."

"So?"

"SO Sokka texted me to say that apparently Azula's a fan of theirs, and seeing as Suki is their leader, there's a good chance she might be coming tonight. And that means Sokka will be there too."

"You forgot to mention it," Toph muttered, scowling down at her shoes and prodding at them viciously.

"Well, I must have figured you would try and get out of it. But it'll be great seeing him again! It's been ages since you two even talked, it'll be fine."

"That's a lie and you know it." Toph stood up, leaving her poor shoes alone again. Katara sighed, knowing that when Toph made up her mind, she made up her mind. She hoped it really would be fine, but if it wasn't, what could she do about it? There was no way of keeping her best friend and her brother separate forever. If only things hadn't got quite so awkward… If only Toph had talked to her first, but there was nothing to do now but go along and hope they would work their problems out. That, and that Toph didn't get into a cat fight with Suki.

Toph made an excuse and wandered off, saying she'd meet Katara at the limo shortly. She found an empty room and sat down in a dusty old chair, only half realising that she was going to ruin her outfit. So, she thought, it was finally the time she'd dreaded when she'd have to see Sokka again. Even if it was inevitable, it was still painful. How long had it been? Three years… she'd been sixteen at the time, although it had taken her since she was twelve to finally get the courage up. Or the stupidity as it turned out. It had always been the four of them - her, Katara, him and the other boy, Aang. Whenever Aang dragged Katara off to do whatever they did, she'd been left alone with Sokka. It happened a lot. And over four years she'd grown gladder and gladder that it did. What she saw, or didn't, in Sokka was still somewhat of a mystery even to her, but it didn't matter. So much so, that she hadn't thought anything of the tall, pretty brunette that started hanging around with them. Toph had matched her athletic ability and then some, and naturally never saw the way he looked at Suki and not at her. And one day, smitten as she was, she decided to do something about it.

It had been the summer, the last summer they'd all hung around the way they used to. Aang and Katara were off splashing around in the river down the way, and so she and Sokka were alone as usual. Even after all this time, the conversation rang clear as a bell in her mind. She had, unusually shyly, approached Sokka as he'd sat around playing with a boomerang. He'd always be messing around with that damn thing, she wondered if he still had it. He'd barely noticed her, though she'd not realised it at the time.

"_Sokka can I talk to you a second?"_

He'd not given any indication he was really listening.

"_What? Oh sure, Toph."_

"_This is kind of hard… but we've been friends for ages now, haven't we?"_

"_Yeah, so?"_

"_Well…" _She dug her fingernails into the chair as she remembered this part. _"I really like you Sokka. I mean, as more than a friend, maybe some time we could…"_

That was when he'd started to pay attention. He'd jumped up, run over and, almost panic stricken, stopped her before she could say anything else.

"_Woah! Uh, Toph, I'm seeing Suki. I thought you knew…"_

She hadn't. No, she'd had no idea. It turned out he hadn't told Katara yet, either. She was less shocked, of course, having the benefit of being able to watch him stare at her every time she came into view. Well, why didn't she mention it, Toph asked? She thought she'd known, never knew Toph would pull something like this. Because of course it always came back to that. Katara was the pretty one. Katara knew how every looked at her. And Toph was the short, embarrassing tomboy who just got in the way and should never, ever attempt to ask someone out without her friend's guidance and permission. And she'd fallen into that. Toph had lost loads of her confidence; it had taken ages for her to claw it back. She couldn't see Sokka again. Or Suki. She couldn't risk being rushed back there, to just being the tag-along in the group again. Why had no-one told her? Why hadn't Katara, her best friend? Because it would be embarrassing if she didn't show up over this..? Well, whatever, she'd better be happy now, because Toph had no choice. She had to go.

She sighed, standing and subconsciously brushing herself off a little. She knew Katara would fix it up for her anyway. It was pretty much time to go, and why put it off? Toph left the dusty old room, leaving her freshly dusted off memories in it behind her.


	13. Chapter 12

**Twelve**

The hall was huge and probably dated from the Georgian era. By the time Toph's driver pulled up outside, it was clear most of the guests had already arrived. Katara had insisted on cleaning up Toph's dress, asking her how in the world she'd got it so dirty so quickly. It had taken longer than expected, and now they had to enter knowing that when they did so, everyone would be ready and waiting to stare them all the way down to the floor. This was more exciting for Katara than it was for Toph. She scuffled up to the door, nervously waiting to open it. Katara came up behind her and comfortingly put a hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, I'm sorry I took so long. I just wanted you to look nice. You deserve it."

Toph smiled shyly. "Thanks Katara."

Forgetting her nerves, Toph yanked the door open and the two girls followed the corridor to the main ballroom. It was indeed full of people, some of whom Toph knew but most of whom she didn't. Katara however was only interested in one. As soon as she sighted them, her face lit up with glee and she rushed over, dragging Toph with her.

"Sokka!"

The boy turned, just in time to see his sister before she drew him into a huge hug. He beamed back at her.

"Katara! How are you?"

"Pretty good! How are you? How's work going?"

"Fine, fine." He finally noticed Toph hanging back behind his sister. "Oh, hey there Toph, how are you?"

"I'm alright." There was a heavy silence, until Katara let out a nervous and deliberate laugh.

"OK then! I'm going to go and get a drink, or something, I'll be back soon." She hurried off, leaving the two alone like so often in the past. Only now it was awkward. After several moments of nothing, Toph cut through flatly.

"Excuse me." She said, before shuffling off. Sokka shrugged, not knowing what else to do, and looked around to see where Suki had ended up.

If it was uncomfortable at that end of the room, it was nothing compared to what Zuko was going through. He'd been in the first few to arrive, obviously, beaten only by his sister and father. He'd asked Jin to excuse him while he spoke to his family, as he knew he'd have to at some point that evening. His father had practically blanked him, and Azula had been too busy preparing to even see him. Still, it was better than actually talking to them and he quite happily went to leave, before he was asked to stay by his father. Not just momentarily, but until all the guests had arrived and Azula had given her speech. It was much better this way, he was told, then their family could all congratulate her together and generally, although it was not mentioned aloud, look impressive for the other rich families they'd invited. Zuko had tried to argue, but had been told outright that he was lucky to still be considered a member at all, and that if he didn't keep his mouth shut for the rest of the evening, Azula may find herself without a brother, and then how would she feel? So he'd obliged, and now he was stuck in a back room, alone (his father was busy helping Azula prepare), and miserable.

Meanwhile, Jin, who knew only that Zuko had buggered off and hadn't returned within the hour, was starting to look like a lonesome wallflower off on her own to one side. She watched the other chipper little couples and asked herself bitterly why she'd agreed to go along with what was so obviously a huge practical joke, at her expense. She reminded herself never again to trust boys she met in starbucks. As she stewed on this, another girl approached her, Jin looked over at the girl, whom she did not recognise, and wondered if this was the person who would laugh it up and tell her what a dunce she'd been. Instead, she asked her if she was alright, as she'd been looking at her for a while and had noticed she'd not spoken to anyone.

"I'm fine," Jin grumbled.

"You don't sound fine," The girl smiled warmly at her. "I'm Suki, why don't you come over and talk to me and my friends?"

What the heck, Zuko wasn't coming back anytime soon by the looks of things. "OK."

Suki led Jin appreciatively back to her group, which now consisted of Sokka and Katara. Katara was arguing with Sokka when they returned.

"What do you mean 'she just left'? Where did she go?"

"I don't know! I didn't watch."

"Um, is this a bad time?"

Sokka wheeled round to see Suki. "No, of course not, sorry." His eyes fell on Jin. "Who's this?"

"This is…" Suki paused.

"Jin. My name is Jin."

As she spoke, everyone else's voices died down and all eyes turned to the main stairs. Jin hushed herself, feeling stupid. The double doors at the top opened, and a girl stepped out, wearing an excruciatingly expensive looking red dress. She walked slowly down the stairs, clearly used to the attention she received. Her short black hair was held up with a golden pin, bearing her family's emblem. As she approached the crowd, they parted as easily as if someone had pushed them. She breezed through, and eventually reached the stage at the other side of the room, where her father and brother now sat. She stood facing the guests and her voice filled the room without a microphone, commanding the respect and attention of everyone there.

"It's so lovely to see all of you here today, and I thank you for sparing your time to honour me…"

Zuko quickly lost interest in his sister's self indulgent speech, having heard much of the same many times before. He searched the crowd for Jin, feeling bad for not being able to reach her earlier and telling her where he'd gone. It was this that left him caught out when he heard his name. He stared blankly back at Azula, who had probably called on him when he was least focused deliberately. She giggled politely, causing much of the room to copy.

"I repeat, I would like to thank my brother, Zuko, for all his support." Realising this was his cue to come up, he clumsily did so, to weak applause and, he would swear, a hiss from the back of the room.

"Uh…" He thought desperately for something to say, but Azula quickly cut him off, pushing him back and reclaiming her place at centre stage. He sat down again, highly embarrassed, and once again shown up by his little sister. How could it get worse than this…

After another ten minutes of drivel, Zuko was allowed to leave the stage, but once again, before he could make it too far, his father pulled him back. Oddly, it was not to tell him he was disowned for humiliating the family during the little performance.

"Zuko, it has come to my attention that left to yourself in that university, you've become even more… unsavoury than you ever have been before."

"Oh." What else was he supposed to say?

"As such, I have decided to keep a closer eye on you. Starting now. There's someone I would like you to meet."

Zuko didn't object as he was essentially pushed towards one side of the room. He dreaded this, and wondered who on earth he'd be forced to meet. A counsellor? Psychologist? Maybe he was being forced into joining the army, where discipline certainly wouldn't be a problem. Although if his father thought shipping him off to live with a group of other men would cure his newly discovered gay streak, he was obviously desperate. However, the only person standing waiting for them was a girl of his own age. She had long, elaborately designed icy hair, and was wearing an elegant white gown. She watched him warily, although still politely, as he and his father approached.

"This is Yue. You will dance with her."

"Why?"

"Because," he spat, "her father is already looking to marry her off, and maybe if you find the right sort of girl you'll forget about your criminal friends and stop causing trouble."

Zuko was left speechless as his father marched off. Already feeling her soft gaze shining on his back, he found himself forced to turn around and talk to this stranger it seemed he was suddenly supposed to cosy up to. He cleared his throat uncomfortably.

"I'm Zuko."

"I know, I'm Yue."

There was nothing much else to say. Yue averted her gaze, aware she was making him nervous, and also nervous herself.

"Do you want…?" He gestured with his head to the dance floor, which people were beginning to drift off to. She shrugged. As he stayed frozen, she added a nod. He awkwardly led her off and attempted to dance with her, not his strong point. Toph knocked Katara in the ribs.

"Check that out."

Katara, as well as the other three, turned to watch the spectacle unfold. Jin glared and stomped off, causing Suki to follow her to try and find out the problem. Toph sniggered and Katara rolled her eyes.

"What _does_ he look like?" she asked.

"A bit crap really," Toph giggled, glad the tight conversation had finally let up.

"Who is it?" Sokka asked, mildly fixated.

"Zuko." Katara replied, as if he was stupid.

"No, the girl."

Katara looked hard at her brother. "Why?"

He snapped his attention away from the two figures and back to his sister. "No reason. Just curious." Katara tutted. Before she could lecture him, she felt a tap on her shoulder.

A boy was standing there, smiling at her. He was barely taller than her, and had a shaved head, bizarrely enough, with an arrow tattooed on it. Katara seemed shocked, but quickly recovered, happily drawing the boy into a hug.

"Aang! What are you doing here?"

"A few of the trainee monks came by, we do quite a lot of charity work and the invite is sort of a thank you. I still think it's just to make Zuko's family look like they care though."

As Katara became involved in catching up, Sokka took the chance to slip away. He waited at the edge of the dance floor, keeping his eye on the beautiful fair-haired girl moving gracefully as best she could with her clumsy partner. Zuko, highly embarrassed, was just about ready to pack it in. He was hopeless at this. Yue had realised this by now.

"It's alright, we can stop now."

Gratefully, he pulled away. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault. I'M sorry; my father is so desperate for me to settle down, I should have just said no to this whole idea."

Zuko risked a nervous laugh. "Yeah, well mine's no better."

Yue smiled. "Thanks anyway." She gave him a quick peck on the cheek. "But I've really no urge to marry you."

Zuko nodded quickly and ran off. Yue turned to, presumably, find her family and leave, but was met by another boy. This one also had his brown hair in a ponytail, although a much shorter one. She wondered what he wanted, but knew as soon as he smiled at her. He was easily much more confident than Zuko, and didn't even have to ask her to dance. It just came naturally. Sokka wasn't thinking, not about where he was or who he was there with, just that there was a girl in front of him as radiant and flawless as the moon. He barely even noticed when they stopped dancing, or when he leaned in to kiss her. In fact, the first thing he knew about anything was when Suki, done with comforting Jin and all ready to ask her boyfriend to dance, slapped him right around the face. That brought him back. Yue didn't know what to think as the mysterious boy ran off to comfort the bawling girl. In the end, she just decided that it was not really her day, and went off to find some place to sit down for a while and get her thoughts in order.


	14. Chapter 13

**Thirteen**

Some people had started to filter out, but the floor was still moderately full. Toph seemed sadistically elated and had happily danced with anyone who'd asked her all evening. Katara on the other hand was slightly more concerned for her brother, albeit in a 'told you so' sort of way. Sokka had not been seen since the incident earlier, and actually neither had Suki, or Yue, or Jin. The latter Zuko had been looking for for a while now. He didn't know his way around this place and found it impossible at times even to find his way back to the ballroom, let alone find his jilted date. Finally, he found himself wandering out into the garden, if for no other reason than to get away from the others. There was a pond in the garden, a relatively large, round pond decorated with unlit lamps. He knelt down on the grass and gazed morosely at it for a while, before dropping down properly. He wondered how easy it was to get grass stains out of black tie.

"Hey." Zuko looked over his shoulder and saw, irritatingly, that Jin had followed him out. How typical, she was the one to find him after all and not the other way around.

"I'm sorry about leaving you earlier."

"That's OK." She strolled over, admiring the pond as well. "Don't you love this?"

"What?"

"This pond. I love things like this." She smiled to herself, wavering for a moment on whether to sit down, but deciding against it. "It's a shame the lamps aren't lit."

"Uh-huh." Awkward silence. Zuko tried not to look at Jin, knowing that at some point the question would come up.

"So who was that girl you were dancing with?" And there it was.

"No-one. Just someone my father hooked me up with."

Jin smiled sadly. "So no time for a simple girl like me, then?" she teased, still half serious.

Zuko bit his lip. "I never said that. I would have rather danced with you."

"But you didn't."

He frowned. Glancing back at her, he got up slowly. He faced the pond again and thought carefully for a long moment. "Close your eyes."

She obliged. Zuko tiptoed carefully past her then made a dash for the doors back inside. Catching the draft, Jin opened her eyes again in time to see that he had up and gone. She cursed; kicking up some dirt, then sat down on the edge of the pond and pouted. Zuko quickly found what he was looking for and returned to the doors, peering out to see if she still had her eyes shut. Annoyed to see she hadn't, he sighed and wondered if he should still go ahead with his plan.

As this unfolded, Katara was still trying to locate her missing brother, with no luck. She returned to Toph, who she found had given up waiting and was engaging herself in leading Aang in a very athletic looking dance. He seemed more than slightly uncomfortable, probably curious as to why his formally anti-social friend had taken up an almost oppositely cheerful persona in the last two hours. Katara rescued him by telling Toph a rather handsome boy way on the other side of the room was giving her the eye. She turned to Aang.

"Sorry she's just… happy."

"That's alright," Aang smiled weakly. "But thanks." Katara and he both smiled. With a quick cough, Katara decided to change the subject.

"So, how _have_ you been? The last time I saw you…"

"Yeah, it's been a while." He shrugged. "I'm fine. Things with the monks have been great, hopefully I should be fully qualified by the time I'm eighteen."

"That must be weird." She attempted a little laugh, not getting very far.

"I'm sorry." He looked at his feet. "I'm not entirely sure I'm going to do it though…"

"What? Why not?" Katara asked, shocked. "You've always wanted to."

"Yeah… But maybe I found, I mean will find, something more important…"

Before Katara could ask anything else, Toph returned dragging a boy by the collar to ask if it was the right one. He didn't seem to mind so much, but still jumped at the chance to break free from her grip. Katara just said that maybe she'd been seeing things. Toph asked sarcastically which one of them looked blind now.

Jin sat miserably staring out at the view over her shoulder. She was so involved, she didn't notice Zuko approach and tap her on the shoulder. She was so surprised; she toppled back and landed right in the pond. Zuko bit his tongue and offered an arm to help her which she gratefully took, smiling happily, and then pulled him in with her. He spluttered, coughing, and making as much of a fuss as if the pond was three metres, and not three inches, deep. Jin smirked maliciously and watched him wring out his drenched ponytail.

"What was that for?" he yelled.

"For randomly buggering off and expecting me to stand here with my eyes closed and wait."

"Oh. Right," he muttered. He fished around in his pocket and pulled something out, looking at it, then tossing it away into the water. Jin retrieved it, and saw it was a thoroughly drenched match. She frowned at it, then looked at Zuko.

"Were you going to try and light the lamps?"

"Maybe," he coughed, trying to stand up but falling back down.

"That's so…"

"Stupid?"

"Sweet." Zuko shrugged, averting his gaze again out into the darkening plant life. Jin smiled to herself. "Why don't you close _your_ eyes this time?"

"Why?"

"Just do it." Zuko did, feeling he at least owed her that. Jin leaned over, successfully trailing her sleeves in the mucky water. She brushed his sodden fringe out of his eyes and reached through to kiss him. He hung around long enough to notice that kissing Jin was much softer than being manhandled by Jet, but then found his nerves cracking up again and pushed her off.

"What's wrong?" she asked, irritated.

"Um…" Unable to think of an excuse, Zuko jumped up and babbled a quick 'I'm-really-sorry-I-think-someone's-calling-me-bye', before escaping inside once more. Jin leaned in the pond for a few minutes, in mild shock, before her arms fell out from under her and she collapsed with a splash and a long, exasperated sigh. Zuko made his way back to the ballroom, hoping someone would take pity and offer him a ride home so he wouldn't have to wait around all night. As he scanned the crowd, three girls approached him. One was looking at him with mild disgust, one was giggling. The leader was his sister.

"Why are you all wet?" she asked angrily.

Before he could splutter out an answer, the doors at the top of the main stairs banged open. Everyone in the room turned to see a scruffy, wobbling boy holding tight to the banister to stop himself from falling over the edge. He smirked back at them. Zuko froze.

"As great to see yur too!" he slurred. Zuko could only hope he wasn't as drunk as he looked, or that this was an act, or that no-one would recognise him. But knowing Jet, there was no guarantee either way. Jet stumbled down the stairs as best he could, tripping several times and holding the eyes of everyone there. He stopped when he reached the floor and caught sight of Katara and Toph.

"Oh! Aright Kata… Katr… Katarar?"

"Jet what are you doing?" she hissed, attempting to hold him up and stop him from causing more of a scene than he already had.

"Nuffin," he grinned, "War you doin?"

"Jet you need to go home," Toph offered. He turned to her.

"'Ey Toph! Ya lurk differnt…" He giggled inanely to himself for a moment. "Y'know wha I told Zu… Zuck… Uh, him? I tol' him…" Jet whispered something in Toph's ear then giggled again, she started to stutter a response, but he'd already started to traipse off to his next victim. Zuko clenched his fists and watched him stagger over, until he was right in his face.

"Look everone! As Zucko…" He leant a hand on Zuko's shoulder to keep himself upright. "You lot all know him… but how well do ya know him, ey?"

"Jet, shut up…" he muttered. Jet waved a hand around, turning to face the majority of the onlookers.

"Zuko here's a bit of a…" giggling, "a gurl, really. He's scared of everone, he's scared of his sisser here," he pointed off the way he'd come from, "he's scared a Toph an' Katraraa…" He looked back at Zuko. "An' now he's scare a' me!"

"Shut it, Jet."

Jet smirked at him, stumbling and almost bringing them both down. "Why you so wet? You been swimmin?" He ran a hand through and over Zuko's drenched hair. "Oh rioght! Yeah, I forgot about that…" Jet took a step back, gesturing randomly at the crowd. "He really dun like his father, eitha… He tells me all this stuff," he coughed, "An so I decided to help him, did he thank me? Nooo…"

"Jet, come on…" Zuko reached out to try and lead him off, but Jet pulled away sharply.

"Gerroff! I don't need you..." He motioned back to Katara, "Or 'er neither! You can all… all… whatever." Jet turned around, putting a hand on each of Zuko's shoulders. "I din mean what I said, yestaday, I shouldn't have dun it…" He laughed. "I always screw things up! I shud never come in yur room and done… I really made you feel like crap, ey?"

Zuko grimaced. This wasn't really the apology he'd been expecting. Nevertheless, Jet seemed to truly mean it, it was just unfortunate he emphasized it all by throwing up on Zuko's shoes.


	15. Chapter 14

**Fourteen**

Although they were due to head back the next morning, Jet was in no state to travel, and Zuko had refused to be in the same car as him anyway in case he threw up again. Besides, he probably had some explaining to do. Despite this, Zuko had been extremely careful not to run into anyway at all since last night, which unfortunately meant he'd had to walk home in the end. Even worse was when he'd caught a look at himself in the mirror. After walking a mile or two home in the dark, obviously not having taken the best care, in addition to being soaked with pond water and vomited on, he was not a pretty sight. Now, after waking up, he regretted not showering when he'd got in.

Jet was just coming to in one of the spare bedrooms. His head was killing him, obviously, and it was made worse by the hazy sunlight leaking in through a gap in the curtains. He groaned and attempted to get up. As he did so, he noticed someone was sitting in the chair across the room.

"Whosthere?"

"Good morning to you too." The figure stood up and turned around, leaning one arm on the chair and smiling, slightly viciously. Jet couldn't quite place their face. All he knew was that the dark hair and smirk were familiar. Then it clicked.

"You're Zuko's sister."

"I have a name you know, but yes."

Jet frowned; making sure Zuko wasn't actually here as well. "Why are you in my room?"

Azula cocked her head. "Well it is my house after all… but really I just wanted to make sure you were alright after last night."

"OK. I'm fine."

Ignoring the invitation to leave, Azula strolled over to Jet. She was several inches shorter than him, but he was still quite creeped out by her. "Good, I was really worried, it's not everyday someone crashes your ball like that."

"Right…" He wondered how he could get her to leave, this was making him pretty uncomfortable.

"I really had to beg father to allow you in last night, after all the fuss you caused."

"That's… nice. Is Zuko up yet?"

Azula looked annoyed at the mention of her brother. "How should I know? Not that you should care, of course, he'll be very angry with you." Jet backed away a bit. She noticed this and met him with an equal number of steps. "What is it you like about him, anyway? He's so… pathetic. Not like you at all."

"I don't know. I just like him. He's fun." Jet found himself backed right up against his bed and had to be careful not to trip over it. Azula laughed.

"No. He's really not. Although I suppose he could be different at your little school. Is he?" Jet shook his head. "No little girlfriends or anything?" Jet considered mentioning Toph, but decided that would be a very bad idea. He shook his head again. "Really. And what about you..?"

"What?" Jet squeaked. It was not often he met someone who could intimidate him. If ever. If he'd had a clearer head, he probably would have hit himself noticing that one of these few people was a sixteen year old girl. Azula was clearly aware of this. She took another step forward. Without thinking, Jet took one back and ended up falling over the edge of the bed. He rubbed his head and looked anxiously up at the menace who may as well have pushed him. She just smiled back and took a seat on the side of the bed next to him.

"No-one particularly interesting at university?"

"Well, uh, no, I suppose not." He wondered if it would be a good idea to run. Then, he wondered if he actually could, seeing as he'd just woken up and wasn't in a very good state. Instead, he just drew his knees into himself and sat defensively.

"Right. That's such a shame. After all, you're hardly the sort of boring little whiner my brother is, or all of the other boys from around here are actually. I can't say I'm not surprised."

"I think I should go and see if Zuko's awake yet," Jet whined. Azula tutted.

"Why are you thinking about him right now? You should stop it, and maybe start thinking about the person who saved you last night."

Before Jet could think of another excuse, the door opened. Zuko stood in the doorway, took in Jet and Azula, nodded, and walked out, slamming it behind him. There was a brief pause before Jet got up and hurried after him. Azula scowled, checked her nails and then congealed into a little pool of sulk. Zuko was only walking slowly, and so Jet caught him easily.

"Sorry. I mean about last night, and that and, well, everything." Jet shook his head in mild disbelief. "Wow, I really am sorry."

Zuko shrugged. "I suppose it could be worse."

Jet paused, narrowing an eye. "I'm sorry, I didn't realise Zuko had a calm, forgiving twin brother."

Again, he just shrugged, apathetic. "I don't care. It could be worse." With that, Azula appeared behind them.

"Father wants to see you, Zuko. About yesterday. Quite urgently, actually."

"Fine," he murmured, and walked off. Jet still wasn't entirely sure if he'd actually been talking to Zuko. Whoever it was they certainly didn't act like him. The normal thing for Zuko to do in this situation would be to rant on, scream about how Jet had ruined his life (again), and possibly dump a bucket of water over his head. Not shrug it off.

Jet wasn't the only one who'd made an ass of himself at the party. Sokka was still sulking back at Toph's house. Apparently Suki had gone straight home, leaving him in a lurch with no transport. Toph had graciously offered him a room in her house, and although Katara hadn't been best pleased, she'd decided to stay around as well until he could find some way to get home. Right now, he was miserably making his way through a pile of toast, alone, back in his bedroom. He had realised too late that he'd forgotten to ask the girl at the dance for her phone number, and so his chances of seeing her again were slim. Suki had told him to get lost, in a slightly pricklier way, and so he was down two girls. Great. At least he wouldn't be going to anymore dances anytime soon, unless Toph asked him, and then he'd probably just say no. She'd seemed irritatingly peppy lately and he couldn't be sure, but it seemed to have stemmed from his idiocy last night. Just great.

Jet had been waiting around for Zuko to come out for an hour. He didn't think it would take this long to yell at him, and if he'd been someone else he might have been worried. Eventually, Zuko did return, but when he did he seemed a lot paler, and that was saying something. Jet asked him what had happened. For a long moment Zuko was completely frozen, then he snarled and wheeled on Jet.

"What happened? What do you THINK happened, you absolute idiot? What could possibly have happened?!"

"I'm sure it could be worse," he tried to say.

"Don't be insane! This is all your fault! You did this to me!"

"Did what?" Jet tried to calm Zuko down a bit by holding his arms, but he just lashed out at him instead.

"I have… I have been… I've been disowned, thanks to you. Well, not just thanks to you. I guess if I'd been smart enough not to bring you, or leave you alone, or take your advice that would have been better. Or if I'd done everything I was told to. Or not fallen in the pond. Or not walked home in the middle of the night. Or generally not acted like an absolute idiot, like, like…"

"Like me..?" Zuko glowered at him.

"Go and get your stuff," he hissed.

"Why?" Jet frowned. Zuko sighed, calming himself down a little.

"We have to leave. Seeing as I am no longer a member of this family, I can no longer stay in this house. Or use the cars. But we still have to get back to university."

As Zuko turned to go and find his things, Jet called out. "Then how are we getting back?"

He shrugged. "I guess we'll have to hitchhike."


	16. Chapter 15

**Fifteen**

It turned out that hitchhiking was a lot harder and messier than expected. Standing by the side of the road, muddy and tired, kind of made you look like someone returning from Glastonbury, and no-one ever wanted to pick up people who looked like that. As it turned out, no-one wanted to pick up Jet and Zuko either. The fact that Zuko looked by now like he'd be willing to kill someone for a ride may have had some bearing on it. Eventually, someone stopped. It was just unfortunate that the driver happened to be on his way to the market with a load of vegetables, but he offered the two a lift in the back. Jet persuaded Zuko it would be fine, and so they ended up squashed amongst several bags of turnips. Zuko did not look best pleased.

"It could be worse," Jet argued.

"No. It couldn't."

After they'd arrived at the market, checked a map and had a lengthy and angry discussion, they realised they still had a long way to go, and there was no way they could walk it. To top it off, neither had thought to bring any money for the weekend, and so they couldn't even get a bottle of water, let alone a taxi. Luckily, or unluckily as it may be, another driver overheard their argument and said he could take them, he was already dropping someone off over there anyway. It turned out he'd been in the market buying what was probably a year's supply of fresh vegetables, when a boy, about their age, had offered to help him load up his flatbed in exchange for a ride. Would they like the same? Jet agreed before there could be any more debate, and so they went off to help and, hopefully, finally get home. However, when they arrived at the truck, they were both rather surprised to see a boy who looked rather like Katara.

"What are you doing here?" Zuko demanded.

"Me? What about you! Why aren't you being driven home in comfort?" he replied, snippily.

"None of your business. Why aren't you going back with whoever you came with?"

"Well," Sokka thought for a moment. There was no way he was going to admit to being stranded and dumped by his girlfriend. And if Zuko and Jet weren't going to say why they weren't driving back, then he wasn't going to tell them that he had been told by his sister that he should make it up with said girlfriend, got into a fight, and then been banned from driving back with her and Toph. "None of YOUR business!"

"Fine."

"Fine!"

"Turnips." They both looked at Jet, who was indeed holding a sack of turnips. "As in, we should get these turnips in the truck so we can get back..?"

Regretfully, they both did. The best part of the journey passed in a silent, angry blur, interrupted whenever Jet pointed out that they should 'stop being such idiots and enjoy the view'. After long enough, he decided he just couldn't stand it anymore.

"Get a grip! Wow, we're in a truck together. Wow, your lives are horrible. Wow, we don't have air conditioning. What is wrong with you two?" he snapped. They seemed a little surprised.

"I'll tell you what's wrong," Zuko muttered. "I came down here for the weekend to try and get on with my family, and now thanks to you it's all been ruined. For good."

"Yeah, and I came to have a fun time with Suki and see my sister, and now they both hate me and Suki will probably never forgive me!"

"Why, what did you do?" Jet asked Sokka. He bit his lip.

"Uh. There was… some other girl. And something may have happened. And she may have… noticed." Jet sniggered. Sokka glared at him. Zuko had suddenly lost interest in the conversation and randomly hit himself.

"I can't believe it! You remember that girl you set me up with, Jin? I forgot to say goodbye to her… How stupid of me…"

"So we're both pretty much at square one as far as girls are concerned…" Sokka muttered. Zuko nodded. Jet smirked at them.

"Well I'm not," he said, mimicking pride. Zuko gave him a withering look.

"Oh please. What girl_ out_ of her right mind likes you?"

"Certainly not my sister, she's still planning on how to kill you after last night."

"Actually, his sister."

"Whaaat?!" Zuko yelled. "Stay away from my sister!"

Jet scoffed. "Don't worry, I will. She's psycho." Zuko sniggered, just a little bit. Jet smiled to himself, then, an idea came to him. "Hey, you should do something. To mark your new life, so to speak."

"What's got into you?" Zuko said, looking at him carefully. He had learned time and time again that when Jet had an idea, he had a problem.

"Oh come on," Jet grinned. He dived into the mass of sacks, and apparently found what he was looking for. "Close your eyes."

"No."

"Why not, don't you trust me?"

Zuko frowned. "Only when my eyes are _open_, thank you."

"Fine then! Sokka, maybe you wouldn't mind holding him for me, but don't let him close his eyes, no matter what!"

"Huh?" Zuko had no time to react before Sokka, always happy to help, and taking some delight in Zuko's suffering, grabbed him and held his arms behind his back. As soon as he was helpless, Jet produced the scissors he'd just found, the ones they'd be using earlier to cut the twine to seal the sacks of vegetables.

"Don't worry, you won't feel a thing," Jet whispered. He reached over and held Zuko's ponytail.

"No! Don't! I don't want you to!"

"Oh, get over yourself." Jet cut it off and chucked it over the side of the truck. Sokka grinned and let go. Zuko just sat there for a moment, then reached up to feel his now considerably shorter hair. For a moment, Jet thought he'd actually be calm about it, until;

"How dare you! You have no right! Why do you always do these things to me?"

Jet tutted and smiled to himself as Zuko ranted on and Sokka giggled. Eventually, hopefully, he'd realise that it would be a good idea to just give up and look at this as a chance to change. Or not. He really was pretty stubborn. Jet sighed. He lay back amongst the sacks and tried to drown out the noise, hoping they'd be back soon.


	17. Chapter 16

**Sixteen**

Katara looked up from her desk, to find Toph flicking boredly through a magazine. She strolled over to her, perplexed.

"What are you doing, you can't even read that."

"I like the flicking noise."

And then there was a knock on the door, to interrupt the peace, as always. Katara answered it and was shocked to see her brother smiling back at her.

"Sokka? What are you doing here?"

"I… missed you."

"Really..?"

Sokka invited himself in and took Katara's seat at her desk. He endured her grilling stare for less than a minute before cracking.

"OK! I have nothing to do without Suki! What do I do all day? Nothing! I used to spend all my time with her, and now I can't! I'm going insane!"

"It's been a day…" Katara was ignored.

"I need your help! You're girls; you must know how she thinks! And I don't know any other girls…"

Katara sniffed. "That doesn't mean you can come and disrupt my life. I have things to do other than helping out my useless older brother, you know. Like _working_. Try it sometime."

Sokka grinned. "And that's where you're wrong! _Obviously_ I can't just hang around your campus, so I'm going to look for a job around here, and then I can stay as long as I need to."

Katara sighed. "You still can't. Go home, talk to Suki!"

"But I don't know what to say…"

At this point Toph screwed up her magazine and chucked it onto the floor. "Is EVERYTHING about her? Why do you care so much about her?"

"Because she's my girlfriend," he said, flatly.

"Not anymore! I can't take this, you're such an idiot! If anyone needs me, I'll be… somewhere ELSE!" And with that, she stomped out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Elsewhere, Zuko was just unpacking his things. Violently. As he slammed another drawer shut, there was a sharp knock on his door, and finding it unlocked, Toph marched in of her own accord. She sat herself down on the bed and huffed. After a second, he dared ask what was wrong, and quickly wished he hadn't.

"Wrong? Wrong? I'LL tell you what's wrong! He thinks he can just march into my life at any time, ask for MY help and why? For that stupid girl! It's always about her! Why can't it just once be about _me_? No-one cares about how I feel! NO-ONE!"

"Who are you talking about?" he asked, as soon as he recovered.

"Sokka," Toph spat back, glaring hard at the floor, possibly attempting to burn a hole in it.

"Oh. He's here, then. I did wonder…"

"Wonder? Wonder what? When?" She leapt off the bed and was suddenly right in his face. Well, as much as possible considering how much shorter than him she was.

"I had to get a lift back with him and Jet."

"Oh, why? And why didn't you tell me sooner?"

"Because I just got back," he squeaked, slightly terrified.

Toph was preparing to start on another bout of yelling, but realised that she was probably just frightening the poor boy. Instead, she nodded and waited for him to say something else. He didn't. After a while she just snorted and stamped out. He was left wondering what in the world was going on, and why he had to suffer for it as usual.

Meanwhile, Jet was busy going through his, and everyone else's, mail. He had managed to persuade the girl on duty that she should really go grab a coffee, after all it was two for one today, and he could watch the office for her. She'd been very grateful. After finding nothing interesting in the letters of unknowns, he started on Zuko's. Mostly junk, with one alone that seemed worth reading. He crammed the others aside and opened it. After scanning it quickly, he gulped. Biting his lip, he stuffed the offending letter into his jeans pocket and hurried out of the office. When the girl returned with two coffee cups, surprised to find him gone and mail strewn all over the place, she reminded herself that her parents were probably right when they told her not to trust people that could seduce you with caffeine.

Jet returned to, for once, his own dorm room. The desk had actually gained a layer of dust since he'd last used it, and the place was covered in clothes and papers. Due to his inactivity in his own room, he was caught off guard when he realised someone had followed him in. Unfortunately enough, it was Zuko. Jet jumped guiltily and retreated to the safety of his bed, up against the wall, before smiling gingerly at his unwelcome guest.

"Hey… Zuko, how can I help you? You don't usually come and find me."

Zuko frowned. "Do you know what's gotten into Toph today? Did she come and see you?"

"Nu-uh." Jet shook his head far too fast, desperate to get rid of the other boy. "Guess you'd better go, lots to do I'm sure." He hurried over, holding the door open and gesturing for Zuko to leave. Instead, he sat himself down at the unused desk.

"What are you up to?"

"Oh, nothing, ha ha, what a joke! Come on now, you must have an essay to write or something."

Zuko looked strangely at him. "No, I don't. Why do you want to get rid of me so badly?"

"Don't be silly! It's great to have you over, come any time; just right now you should leave." Zuko got up and strode over to Jet, trying to look him in the eye but not being allowed. He waited. Jet waited. Neither was willing to sacrifice his position. Eventually, Zuko smiled slyly.

"This isn't about you cutting my hair is it? Because although you were completely out of line," he ran a hand through it, "I quite like it like this."

"No, it isn't." As soon as he'd said it, he bit his tongue, wishing he'd taken the out.

Zuko frowned. "Then what?" He ran his eyes over Jet, and that's when the crumpled paper in his pocket caught his eye. "What's this?" Before Jet could stop him, he had snatched it and started reading it. Thinking quickly, Jet wondered what in the world he could do to stop him reading it. With nothing coming to mind, he did the only thing he could. Zuko gasped as Jet rugby tackled him, but held firm to the letter, knowing anything Jet didn't want him to see was worth seeing. Besides, he'd already read his own name. Jet tried to grab the piece of paper, but Zuko fought back, refusing to give in on this one.

"Give it to me!"

"No! It's mine, I tell you! You can't have it!"

"You don't get it, you can't handle it!"

"Give it back, give it to me!"

"No!"

"Give it to me, NOW!"

"Um." They both turned to the door, which Jet hadn't got around to closing. Katara was standing there, paralysed. She stared at them, and they stared back from their somewhat compromised position on the floor. Until Zuko grabbed the letter and shoved Jet off his back. At which point Jet jumped up and slammed the door in her face.

"Way to go, you idiot!" Zuko yelled, "You ripped the letter!"

"Can you still read it?" Zuko nodded. "Damn…"

"You might want to tell her what was going on wasn't what she thought, and was actually just you manhandling me. Again."

Realising he was right, Jet opened the door to find Katara had run off, probably in fear for her life. He cursed and shut it again, noticing that Zuko had taken the chance to start to read through the letter. He decided it wasn't worth risking any more injuries trying to steal it back. As Zuko finished, he went paler than usual, and snapped his attention back to Jet.

"Is this true?"

"I guess so," Jet shrugged, staring awkwardly at the floor.

"I should've guessed," he muttered, screwing up the paper. "I just didn't know it would be so soon…"

Jet patted him on the shoulder. "It's alright. At least your tuition's paid for until you graduate."

Zuko sighed. "But I can't pay for food or anything."

Jet shrugged. "Hey, I know it's hard. But you got disowned; it was only a matter of time before they cut your funding."

"But you don't understand! I can't pay for food, or clothes, or anything. And I'll have to move out of my room and into… a shared dorm." He practically shivered.

"Well that's alright," Jet grinned, "You can get a part time job to handle expenses, and as far as a room is concerned, you can share with me."

"But what about your roommate?" He frowned.

Jet laughed. "Oh, I don't have one. My last roommate got sick of being locked out at midnight every night so moved in with some friends. You can have the spare bed."

"I won't ask," Zuko muttered. Jet hit him again in a way that was probably supposed to be supportive. He attempted to smile in return, but couldn't quite get there. Jet turned to open the door once more.

"Good, well anyway, I have to be going. There's a certain office girl who owes me a latte."

Zuko waved him off, shut the door, then climbed up onto his new bed, in his new dorm room, at the start of his new life. And then he cried into his pillow for at least an hour.


	18. Chapter 17

**Seventeen**

"Do you want vinegar on that?"

Sokka handed over the bag and then went to turn in his apron for the day. He had been working for a week now, at a fish and chip shop a mile away from the university. He had used the money he had to stay at a cheap little hotel for the week, but now it had run out, and he had to either find somewhere else by the end of the day, or go home. Seeing as he'd been putting off phoning Suki, or anyone actually, going home didn't look very good. He decided to go round and see his sister, ask her if she knew anywhere, and then if not try and find another turnip truck to hop on in shame.

Katara had just got out of her last lecture of the day, and was walking with Toph back to their room. Ever since she'd heard of her friend's run-in, Toph hadn't been able to stop laughing. Katara didn't find it funny. After all, she'd actually been feeling generous enough to apologize to the two after Toph's minor explosion towards Zuko. She'd noticed he was heading towards Jet's room, but… well, it was the last time she'd be so foolish for a while. Toph suggested they get something to eat, adding that the cafeteria would be closed soon. Katara agreed, and they headed off. When they arrived, Katara said she'd get the food while Toph went to go and get some drinks. She was pretty shocked when she went to pay and recognised the cashier's voice.

"Zuko? What are you doing selling tea?"

"I need the money," he muttered, annoyed at being caught out.

"No you don't."

"Yeah, uh, let's talk later I'm… kind of busy…"

And with that, he turned away and waited for the next customer. Toph was intrigued, but decided she could wait for now, she brought the drinks to the table and sat down beside Katara.

At the same time, Jet was sat in a café across town, having been there and around for the best part of the day. He had no intention of going back anytime soon, either. Although he was now banned from the office, he was allowed to get his mail every few days. And he had received something which annoyed him. It was just a simple postcard, and you wouldn't think anything of it seeing it. But he knew differently. It was the first postcard he had been sent from his old friends for a very long time, in fact, it was pretty much the first contact he'd had with them since he'd moved to university. At first, they'd hated the idea of him running off to, as they put it, 'sleep with the enemy'. He hadn't really known if it was a good idea himself, either, but his mind had been made up and so he'd gone. And he was still there, a year older, and a very different person. Not that they knew that. Which is why the card upset him, and why he'd felt the need to run off again and be alone for a while. He felt it in his pocket, and remembered the words - thoughtless, pointless, and burned behind his eyelids.

'_Hope you can come back for a while soon, we haven't seen you in forever. How are things going with you-know-what? You never tell us anything anymore. - Bee'_

He clattered his fingernails on the table, aggravated by the stupidity of it. It seemed so long ago now. It wasn't as if it meant anything anymore. Why should he tell them anything? They never asked about his life, it seemed fitting the first time they bothered to write it was about that juvenile _game_. That is all it was. A long forgotten game. He stood up from the table and excused himself from the café, starting the walk back to the bus stop. Long before he reached it, his feet stopped of their own accord and he pulled the note from his pocket. He stared darkly at it for an unaccountable amount of time. And then, slowly, he tore it into little pieces which fluttered away from him in the wind. As he watched it go, he felt someone lay a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, what are you doing out here?"

He realised it was Katara's brother, who he knew had moved into the area, at least for a while. Still, he hadn't expected to see him whilst in this vulnerable state. He took a step back, and offered him a fake smile.

"Just hanging out. You?" Sokka sensed his apprehension, but made nothing of it.

"I work a little way over there," he explained, pointing. Jet nodded. After a moment, he realised he'd have to keep the conversation alive as Jet wouldn't. "Are you going back now?" Jet nodded again. "Are you getting the bus?" Yet another nod. "I'll get it with you." The two walked off in the right direction, Jet hanging back and dragging his feet. The last scrap of paper floated past his face, and he quickly picked up the pace and hurried after Sokka.

Katara and Toph and finished eating now, and were just approaching their dorm room. As they reached it, Katara stopped and looked at Toph, who subsequently bumped into her.

"Toph, can I ask you something?"

"What?" she grumbled.

Katara took a breath before getting down to it. "Sokka. How much do you really-"

"Oh is that all!" Toph tried to laugh it off nervously, and not very believably. "No, not much. Or at all. Not anymore."

"Good," Katara said doubtfully, fully aware how her friend felt about her brother, and annoyed she wouldn't admit to it. "Since when?"

Toph was equally aggravated that Katara was pursuing it. "Oh, a while now. He just isn't my type, really, is he?" And she tried to reach the door, but was blocked, as Katara was not yet satisfied.

"You're lying, Toph. Don't lie to me."

"I am not!" she snapped. "I am very, completely, totally over him!" This time she pushed past and opened the door herself. She marched into the room, and as she was too annoyed to pay much attention, did not notice her friend had not come in. Then she tripped over the person sat on the floor. As she bit hard on her lip and tried not to give into the weakness brought on by the pain, they got up to help her.

"Oh my gosh Toph, I'm so sorry. I should have got up." She easily forgot about the pain when she realised who she had fallen over.

"Sokka! What are you doing in my room?"

"I came to see my sister actually…" As he said it, she couldn't help but be a little disappointed. Still, she refused his help, stood, then went to lie and mope on her bed. Katara finally followed her in, remembering to close the door after certain recent events. She approached her brother with a slight frown.

"And what do you need?"

He seemed embarrassed. "Geez Katara, why can't I just come and see you without needing something?"

She smiled. "You could, but let's face it, you haven't. What is it?"

He gave up the act, choosing instead to put on his most pleading tone of voice. "I need somewhere to stay. Otherwise I'll have to go home, and I can't do that yet! I just can't!" Noticing the start of a rejection approaching, he dropped to his knees. "Pleeeease? Help me out, sis, I need your help." She sighed, certainly not heartless enough to refuse someone who was acting so pathetic.

"OK. I'll _try_. But I don't know what I can do, so don't get your hopes up."

"Thank you, thank you!" He hugged her, waved goodbye and skipped happily off. At which point she dropped her head in her hands and sighed again, but much louder and more drawn out this time. She had no idea what to do about this. She could only hope something highly convenient would turn up, or she'd never hear the end of it. When Toph was sure he'd gone, she smiled to herself.

"Looks like I'm not the only one who has problems with that boy."

And Katara agreed, exasperated, and sat down in her chair.


	19. Chapter 18

**Eighteen**

His hand was shaking as he pushed the button, making sure once again no-one was around to hear him. They weren't; it was too late. He heard a click and snapped to attention, waiting, knowing that this could very well be fatal.

"Hello..?"

"Hi Suki, it's me, don't hang up."

He heard her sigh down the phone line. Fair enough. After talking to his sister, Sokka had realised that his chances of staying here were slim, and even if he managed to scrape together enough for one more night, he knew it was likely he'd be leaving tomorrow. He'd waited until the last minute before calling Suki to see if there was anything to save, or put another way; if it was going to be a nightmare once he got back.

"What do you want? I'm about to go to bed."

"Um…" He hadn't much thought about what he'd say when it got down to it. But, really, there was only one thing to say. "I wanted to say that I'm sorry."

"Oh? A bit late don't you think?"

"Yeah… I know. But really, I'm sorry. I hope we can-"

"I know you do. Not going to happen, sorry. Goodbye Sokka."

She hung up. He waited for a moment, hoping it was maybe a joke or a trick and that she'd call back to say no, of course she accepted his apology and it really was alright after all. But naturally, that didn't happen. It was over. He leant against the wall behind him subconsciously, before sliding down to the ground. He couldn't believe it, let alone accept it; it had been too long to change now. All because of some stupid kiss at some stupid party. He didn't notice a figure stealthily emerge from the shadows and try to tip-toe past until they were right in front of him. He was quite surprised to see anyone out this late, especially holding what they were. He got to his feet to meet them at eye level.

"What are you doing out here?"

They coughed anxiously. "Just…" He waved the envelope around in place of an explanation. Sokka didn't know what to think.

"Are you going to mail that? It's nearly ten at night."

"Yeah… I prefer to mail all my letters when it's… dark."

"Oh really? Why is that, Jet?"

Jet sighed; secretly he'd been hoping Sokka hadn't recognised him. There was no possible way of explaining why he was trying to post the letter so late, except perhaps the truth, but not only would that take far too long to tell; he had no intention of trying. Instead, he attempted to change the subject, as he always did.

"Why are you out so late, anyway? Making secret phone calls?" Sokka quickly turned apprehensive, not wanting to tell anyone that he'd just been dumped, especially Jet who would probably laugh it up. He tucked his phone into his pocket and folded his arms.

"Don't be silly. Even if I was, none of your business, is it?"

"And my letter is none of yours."

They both nodded, despite their curiosity at the other's motives. Jet motioned that he was still going to go and send the letter, and Sokka decided to follow him, much to his dismay. This time, Jet tried to pull ahead and lose his tag along, but Sokka was having none of it. He matched the pace almost exactly, right up until they reached the post box. Jet dropped the letter in then scowled at his follower.

"Don't you have something better to do?"

Sokka sighed. "No, I really don't. In fact, I don't even have anywhere to go."

"Why not? Go _home_."

Sokka thought about this. First of all, there was nowhere around here he could stay. It made him wish he'd asked his sister a little earlier, even if it wouldn't have helped him much. That only left one 'home', and that was his real home. But that was hardly a choice, as it meant going back as a failure, and worse still, going back to see Suki. There was nothing left for him back 'home'. He had to move on whether he liked it or not, and this was the only other place he knew anyone. Unless you counted Aang, that is, but he was far too busy. Sadly enough, this was it. He saw only one option, and not a very proud one at that.

"Can I stay with you tonight?"

Jet grimaced. "Wait, what? No! Go home!"

"Pleeease, please, please, _pleeease_! I don't have anywhere to gooo!" he moaned, clasping his hands together to beg. Jet sighed and rubbed his forehead in despair.

"Whatever. It can't be worse than the prince of hell."

Sokka hugged him with glee, causing Jet to cough and kick him hard. Then they wandered back to Jet's room, Sokka with an idiotic smile splattered all over his face, and Jet wondering why he let himself be taken in by these people. At least it was Katara's brother, he thought, she'd owe him one for this. When they got back, Jet was initially quite surprised to see Zuko lying on his bed with his face buried in a pillow. As soon as he realised he had company, he stopped the suspicious snuffling noises and furiously wiped at his face, then in his rush managed to fall over the side and land on the floor. Jet leered over him.

"Clever. That must have hurt - don't cry or anything."

Zuko snarled. "Get lost. No really, do."

Jet tutted, lifting him up despite the struggle. "We have a guest. Be nice."

Zuko didn't really understand nice, especially with people like Sokka. "What is he doing here? I thought he went back where he came from."

"Oh that's nice! Why are you in here anyway? Or don't I want to know?"

"What was that? Do you want to make something of this?"

Realising this was about to turn nasty, after weighing up the pros and cons, Jet decided a fight wasn't really worth the entertainment value. Besides, he was getting tired, he'd been working on secret letter related activities for hours; it took a lot of concentration. He wanted to go to bed, and he couldn't unless his two roomies shut up. He stepped into the middle before either could get their hands on the other.

"Now, now, you two. I don't want a fight breaking out; I've been very generous to let you both stay here, I'm sure neither of you would want to end up out on the street for the night."

"You wouldn't do that," Zuko scoffed.

Jet smiled. "Oh yeah? I think I still have a couple of polaroids from my last roommate's birthday party…" Before he could dig anything up, Zuko interrupted again.

"I am suddenly feeling very sweet and thoughtful of others. Sokka, I'm terribly sorry I was rude, let me make it up to you sometime."

"OK, that's creepy." Sokka muttered. Jet shrugged.

"Now if you'll excuse me ladies, I am going to bed." Sadly for him, he was caught out by logic before he could actually make it to his bed.

"There are two beds in this room," Zuko said. Jet nodded, annoyed he'd been stopped by a game of 'state the obvious'. "Right. Where will he sleep, then?" Jet frowned, not having thought this far ahead.

"One of you will have to sleep on the floor," was all he could come up with. Neither seemed gripped by the idea.

"I've been here longer, you can sleep on the floor," Zuko suggested. Sokka wasn't quite satisfied with that.

"But, uh, I have… a bad back! So, I can't possibly sleep on the floor. There's a slim chance I'll die."

"Oh yeah? And how did that happen? I've never noticed it before."

Sokka had to think quickly, not a good idea when you're lying blue murder. "Oh I've always had it… ever since… I fell… down the stairs. Yeah, that's it."

Zuko smiled to himself, pretty sure he could catch him out. "Why did you fall?"

Sokka bit his lip. "I tripped… I tripped over something, and that something was… my sister."

"Oh come on! You tripped over your sister, and now you can't sleep on the floor for even one night? You expect us to believe that?"

"What do you mean 'us'?" Sokka smirked. Zuko turned around to see that Jet, bored with the argument, had already climbed into bed. He went over and gave him a shove, at which Jet groaned and buried his head under his pillow.

"Jet, back me up here! You can't be asleep, you're still fully clothed."

Jet didn't come out from under the pillow. "And I intend to stay fully clothed as long as you freaks are in my room. Go to sleep, go to sleep in the hallway for all I care, just leave me alone."

When Zuko turned around again, he saw Sokka had taken advantage of his lapse in attention, and had already climbed into the other bed. He waved at Zuko, then followed Jet's lead. Zuko scowled at no-one in particular, seeing as everyone else was trying to sleep. He sighed, snarled, but eventually just dropped onto the floor and tried to get to sleep. After all, maybe this new nightmare would be over in the morning.


	20. Chapter 19

**Nineteen**

"I forgive you."

He smiled. "Thank you, thank you so much." She smiled back, and the two shared a close hug. Sokka looked at Suki. For a moment, he wondered how he could ever have hurt her, but he also knew it would never happen again. Then, apparently out of nowhere, another girl breezed into his vision. She smiled softly and unconsciously came in between the other two. Sokka couldn't help himself, he took her hands and twirled her around again, as Suki silently started to disappear into the background. As he leant in to kiss Yue, he found he was dancing with Toph instead. He pulled back, shocked, as she grinned maliciously and broke free from his hold.

"You were expecting a princess? What, am I not _good_ enough for you?" He tried to shake his head, but she just laughed back, her usually gentle face distorted with a violent smirk. "Suki's not good enough either, is she? Why don't you like us Sokka?" At that moment, Suki reappeared behind him, causing him to trip up. Her face was equally twisted into a pained expression.

"You don't love me anymore, do you, Sokka? You prefer that prissy little princess…"

Toph sniggered. "Do you Sokka? Do you _love_ her?"

He couldn't think of anything to say, and couldn't seem to make his mouth work anyway. The two girls cornered him, both with maniacal smiles. He stumbled backwards and ended up on the floor, allowing them to further push him into a corner. They both laughed as he found himself pressed up against a wall with nowhere to go.

"Why don't you like us Sokka? Why aren't we good enough?" The whispers surrounded him, the faces of the two girls he had hurt blurring until he couldn't see which was which anymore. The voices became higher pitched, hurting his ears. He closed his eyes, curling up and putting his hands defensively over his head, but was unable to stop the torrent of blame pouring in. Then, just as the cacophony reached its peak, he felt someone put their hand on his shoulder. He looked into the pale blue eyes of the girl who had caused half the trouble in the first place, something about her calming him down. He smiled at her, no longer hearing the painful shrieks of the others. He put an arm around her waist and drew her closer to him, and she in turn wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

"Oh Yue…" he whispered.

"Of course I'll take you to Paris, Jin," she replied.

"What?"

Sokka opened his eyes and found that he'd been dreaming. He wondered why he could still feel Yue's hands on his shoulders, but a quick turn of the head revealed that the dreamy princess he'd been holding onto was actually his roommate. Zuko, who was still dreaming himself, had obviously got cold on the floor overnight and crawled into his bed. Too bad he'd forgotten it was occupied. Sokka gave him a good hard kick and he woke up, back on the floor, and slightly dazed.

"Wharhappened?" he grumbled, rubbing his head and looking around. "Who kicked me?"

"I did, you dizzy idiot," Sokka yelled, having pulled the blanket protectively up to his chin. "Next time you're lonely, go sleep with Jet!"

"What are you talking about?" Zuko moaned, getting to his feet and trying to remember anything he might have forgotten. Sokka was not amused, clearly thinking it had been a deliberate invasion of his personal space.

"You! Just because I got to the bed before you, doesn't mean you can jump in as well!"

Zuko still didn't understand what was happening. He could remember he'd lost the bed to Sokka and had had to sleep on the floor, he could remember waking up in the night briefly, and then… And then it clicked. His face fell. He looked at Sokka who stared angrily back. Then he let out a quiet whimpering noise.

"What happened?"

"What do you mean 'what happened'?" Sokka asked irritably.

"I mean, what happened? All I remember is promising someone I'd take them to France, I wasn't talking to you was I?" Sokka was about to point out that he'd probably been dreaming, when there was a disgruntled hiss from the other bed.

"Would you two put a freakin' sock in it? It's early! I was asleep!" Jet clambered laboriously out of his own bed and glared at the other two. "I was having a good dream too, well… actually all I remember is tits and booze… although I think your sister was there, and yours too now that I think about it…" Before Jet could get lost in his half-remembered, dirty thoughts, Zuko moved in on him.

"Jet do _you_ know what happened last night?"

"What sort of what?" he asked, frowning. Before Sokka could answer Zuko's frantic questions, he was off again.

"Me, Sokka… For some reason I woke up and I was in… well, do you know what happened or not?"

Jet realised what he was on about and nodded. "Oh right, yeah, yeah you two were at it all night, I could hardly sleep until just now." Zuko searched his face for any signs of sarcasm, but it was completely nonchalant. With a high pitched whine, he ran out of the room. As soon as he was gone, Jet started sniggering uncontrollably. Sokka snarled at him.

"What exactly was so funny about _that_?" he hissed.

Jet managed to stop laughing long enough to answer. "Teach him to wake me up with his insane problems." He shook his head joyfully. "What did happen by the way?"

"I don't know. He must have forgotten I was here and crept into my bed in the middle of the night. Idiot," he spat the last bit. He turned on Jet again. "You do realise he'll probably never get over this? And how will I ever live it down if it gets out?"

"Pfft, like he'll tell anyone." Jet waved Sokka's fears aside and went to dig some clean clothes out of his drawers. Sokka didn't seem keen to give up so easily, but before he could argue further, Jet had guided him out the door and locked it behind him. Sokka found himself alone in the corridor. It started to sink in that the overly paranoid Zuko had probably already let slip to half the people in the university what had supposedly happened, and the thought wasn't very comforting. He wondered how long it would be before his sister found out.

Whilst Sokka was thinking this elsewhere, Toph and Katara were awoken by a loud and frantic knock on their dorm room door. Katara rolled over and tried to go back to sleep as Toph regretfully went to shoo whoever was there. As soon as she opened the door, she was struck by a crazed babble she could hardly understand so early in the morning. She yawned.

"Who's there?" she muttered, rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

"SomethingreallybadhashappenedIneedyourhelpcomeonlet'sgonow!" And before she could argue, Zuko had yanked her away from the comfort of her dorm and off to an abandoned lecture hall. Still in her pyjamas, she sat wobbly down and frowned at her attacker.

"What are you talking about? Why did you drag me here?" Zuko grimaced and nervously tugged at his fingers. Toph folded her arms and waited for a reply.

"I didn't know who else I could talk to…" he whined.

Toph relaxed a little. "Oh, well… about what, Zuko?"

"Um…" He checked there was no-one around before whispering what had happened in her ear. As soon as she'd heard, Toph shrieked.

"WHAT? He'll sleep with you but he won't even look twice at me? Who does he think he is?!"

"Uh, I think you're missing the point…" he muttered, but she barely gave him the chance. Leaping to her feet, she was already on her way back to her room.

"Just you wait 'til Katara hears about this! How dare he!"

"No! Don't tell Katara! Don't tell anyone!" He ran after her, but by the time he caught up she was just slamming her door behind her. He waited for a second, half expecting the furious girl to reappear and assure him she wouldn't gossip about his little secret to anyone, especially the one person who was bound to kill him if she found out. After a moment of waiting, he thought he heard a scream from inside the room and decided to make a break for it while he still had legs to run with.


	21. Chapter 20

**Twenty**

About an hour later, Zuko was still missing and Jet had finally let Sokka back into the room. Sokka was furious. He'd gone to get a coffee to wake himself up, and two girls walking past had sniggered at him. Although, Jet had pointed out, it was probably because he had morning hair, he had insisted he be let back into the room where no-one else could see him. He was currently sulking in a corner of the room while Jet drank his coffee. When he was done, Jet decided he was sick of Sokka's moping and insisted he get over it.

"Easy for you to say, this has never happened to you." Jet thought for a second, but didn't mention the little fall out at Zuko's parents' house.

"You've got to admit, it is pretty funny."

"It is _not_ funny," Sokka hissed.

Jet sniggered. "Well, it is for me. And remember, no-one here even knows who you are, the only person who's got anything to lose is Zuko."

"Oh yeah? What about my sister, what about…" A thought dawned on him. He remembered the way Toph had been acting ever since she assumed he and Suki were over. He also couldn't help but think about his dream from that morning, and how much he didn't want her to keep acting up as long as he was here.

"Toph?" Jet said casually. "Oh, she probably won't even look at you twice now…"

Sokka bit his lip. On the one hand, he didn't want his sister's insane little friend trailing him everywhere, but he couldn't decide if it was worth being thought of as the one to pop that whiney brat's cherry. However he thought about it, he was doomed. Eventually, he staggered over to Jet, a pained expression on his face. Jet smiled back, pretending to be completely innocent of anything.

"Fine," he hissed. "But if this becomes unbearable, I'm telling Katara it was all your idea."

"Wise decision." Jet patted Sokka on the back, throwing a glance at his clock. "If we walk slowly, we can probably find an open pub in about an hour…"

Before they had time to think about this, there was a quiet knock on the door. After a pause Jet went to open it finding Zuko standing there, to Sokka's horror, with a handful of daises. He shuffled into the room, ignoring Jet, cleared his throat, and went to address Sokka.

"Look," he stared nervously. "I know this was a mistake, and I know I've never really liked you, and I'm sorry for those things I said about your ponytail," Sokka's hands went defensively to his ponytail. "But, subconsciously, buried deep inside of me, even though I was completely unaware of it until now, I must have some sort of affection for you… somewhere hidden inside of me. And I just want you to know, I'm going to do the honourable thing here…" He paused to clear his throat again, refusing to make eye contact. Sokka looked as if he was about to cry, and so did Jet, although the latter was probably from laughter. Zuko held out the flowers. "I didn't know what you'd like, so I just got daises…"

Jet couldn't contain himself any longer. "How thoughtful! That's so reminiscent of that delightful trip through the country we all shared. You two keep talking, I'll go put these in some water." He snatched the flowers, much to Zuko's annoyance, and went to find something to put them in, making sure he could still hear every word. There was an awkward silence.

"Look Zuko, I'm sure you think this is really sweet, or something, but…" Before Sokka could ruin his fun, Jet reappeared, babbling over him.

"I don't have any vases so I just put them in this old beer can, I hope that's OK. Now, Zuko, what were you saying..?" Zuko didn't say anything else, so Jet just filled in for him. "So are you two going to date now, or what?" He smiled, supposedly sincerely. Sokka's eye twitched and Zuko just stood there, not quite sure which answer he should give. In the end he settled for an unenthusiastic swear under his breath. Jet shrugged. "Just wondering." He feigned a horrified expression. "You're not just going to duck and run are you? Why, you slut!"

"What?" Zuko wheeled on him. "You'd know all about that, Jet, not me."

"I don't leave girls in ponds." It might have been a throwaway comment, but it bothered him. That hadn't really been his fault, in fact it had been more Jet's fault that they'd had to leave before he could say goodbye, still, he couldn't help feeling bad about it.

"That won't happen again…" he muttered. Jet grinned.

"So… you are going to date then?"

Sokka pushed past them, not about to let the conversation go any further. "I'm going out. If I kill myself, Jet, don't touch my stuff." And wit that, he marched out and slammed the door behind him. Zuko seemed a little upset, but he didn't want to say anything, knowing the reaction he'd get. Suddenly, he realised something.

"How did you know about the pond?"

In the short space of time people had stopped paying attention to him; Jet had crawled onto his bed. "Huh?"

"I never told you about what happened with Jin at the pond…"

"Oh that," he said flatly. "She texted me after we'd left."

"So you have her number? After me worrying about abandoning her like that? You had her number _all this time?!_"

"Yeah, of course I do, how do you think I sent her the details for the party? It's not my fault you never bothered to ask for it."

Zuko stared at Jet for a long time. Admittedly, Jet was a pain in the ass. And yes, he helped to get him disowned. And now he may have poisoned him in the eyes of a girl he actually liked. But… actually, Zuko couldn't think of a redeeming quality to add to the list. So instead of forgiving him and asking for the mobile number as he would have liked to, he picked up the can of flowers, strolled over to Jet's bed and calmly tipped the water down the back of his shirt. Jet jumped up, hopping around and frantically trying to drain the water from his back. Zuko laughed, something he found he rarely did. Jet managed to sort himself out, facing his attacker with a glare usually reserved for the worst kind of traitors, and clutching a ruined daisy in one hand. Knowing he shouldn't made Zuko laugh even harder. The boy facing him was a caricature of his usual self, ridiculously messy and without any sense of pride or cockiness. Jet was less than amused.

"Oh, this is funny to you, then? Laugh it up while you can, you won't be laughing soon!" He lunged at Zuko, who dodged, still sniggering. "You are _so_ going to pay for this!" He made another move to attack, but missed again. The third time Zuko wasn't so lucky. Jet swung at him with the hand holding the flower, and caught him around the side of the head. Zuko wobbled, stumbled, then dropped onto the floor. Jet instantly wondered if he'd gone too far again, but a sliver of water still remaining at the neck of his shirt convinced him otherwise. Zuko rubbed his throbbing head; at least he thought Jet had gone too far. Dots swam before his eyes, and he fell backwards. Jet stared at him for a while, then brought a pillow over and put it under his head. Finally, to emphasize his point, he brushed Zuko's hair back, and carefully tucked the drippy flower behind one ear.


	22. Chapter 21

**Twenty One**

There came a tinkly electronic tune from the desk. Katara went over grudgingly to answer the call, ready to snap at whoever was on the other end that she wasn't in the mood. Not only was it getting late, but she still hadn't recovered from what Toph had told her that morning. As she snatched up her mobile, she drew in a breath, hoping to let them get less than three words in.

"Hi Katara, is this a good time?"

The voice caught her by surprise. She had been expecting Sokka or Jet or even a telemarketer trying to sell her a microwave. She had not been expecting Aang. As such, and without a source to let her anger out on, she was somewhat lost for words. He seemed to notice.

"This isn't a good time, I'm sorry, um; I'll call you again later, maybe."

"No wait! It's good, what did you want to say?" Now he paused. She could tell he was a little uncomfortable, probably wishing he'd been able to leave a message rather than talk to her. Eventually he spoke, and when he did it was rushed and hesitant.

"Well, I was just thinking about the other week, and how great it was to see you, and Toph and Sokka, again. And so, well, that made me think about when we would all hang out, and how great it was, and so I asked Suki if she had your number, and then I thought maybe I would call you, and then maybe, no pressure or anything, we could meet up…? All of us, we could all meet up."

"Uh, sure, Aang…"

"If you don't really want to that's OK too, I mean, I didn't think you would, you probably don't even have time…"

"No, really," She smiled, and it sounded in her voice. "I would like to. I'm sure Toph and Sokka would too. It's just, it's a bit difficult when you live so far away from here…"

"Well, I thought about that, and I thought that maybe, when you get the chance, we could all go camping, or something like that, maybe."

"That could work."

"Really…?" There was a pause, as if he actually did need confirmation. "Well… good! Just… ask the others and tell me when it would be a good time."

As Katara scribbled down Aang's phone number, her brother was still missed by his two roommates, although 'missed' probably wasn't the right term, as Zuko was still slightly unhinged from the blow to the head, and Jet was busy trying to make an essay out of some badly written notes about French philosophy. He occasionally commented that maybe Sokka really had killed himself as promised, and wondered aloud how soon they could sell his things on eBay. Zuko replied to these comments with an unconvincing 'uhhuhrrh'. Just as Jet was rounding off his work, there was a weak knock at the door. With a glance at Zuko, he went to answer it. As soon as he did, two boys tripped and stumbled in, clutching each other's shoulders to keep themselves upright. One of them was Sokka. He did not recognise the other. Sokka giggled and made a poor attempt of a wave to Jet, and then to Zuko, who didn't seem to have noticed them.

"Aright muh dearies…?" he said, causing the other boy to giggle. Jet frowned.

"You're drunk. Very, from the looks of it. Have you been drinking ever since this morning?"

"Naw. We been aaaall over, you shoulda been there!"

"Who is 'we'?" Jet stared at the giggly boy clinging to Sokka for support. He had long brown hair, held out of his face with a bandana. He noticed Jet looking at him and stuck his tongue out, causing the two to start giggling again and winding Jet up even more. "I said, who is he?" he snapped.

"This is my friend Ha…Haru. Say hellooo!" Haru waved at Jet, then at Zuko, who didn't respond, and just sat holding his head. Haru let go of Sokka and stumbled over to the bed where Zuko sat. He pushed his face up to him and Zuko noticed the stranger for the first time, jumping back and almost knocking his head again on the wall.

"Who are you and what are you doing in my room?" he yelled. Jet couldn't help but smirk. Sokka watched on with a lack of comprehension and vague amusement. Haru blinked, smiling shakily and wobbling on his feet, he leaned his hands onto the bed to steady himself.

"I am Haru, who are yo-ou?" This started a new burst of laughter in Sokka, which in turn caused him to trip forward and onto Jet, who grudgingly held him at arm's length. Zuko looked awfully confused; wondering why no-one else was worried about the strange, inebriated boy in their room. The boy himself just swung slightly and smiled, showing a lot of his teeth. Before Zuko could question him further, the door was pushed wider open and Toph appeared. She coughed.

"Ew, which one of you has been drinking? A lot."

"Sokka," Jet said, dropping him carefully onto the floor. "And his new friend."

"Who?" Toph asked.

"Meeeee! Over here!" Haru gave her an exaggerated wave, but when she still seemed unsure, he went over to her. "Right here, can… can't you see me, girly?"

"I'm blind, asshole!" she yelled, clenching her fists. He didn't seem to understand. Jet gave her a poke.

"He's too wasted; he probably can't even see _you_ right now." She sniffed, folding her arms, still apprehensive.

"Well, I did come here to apologize for the way I acted earlier, but I don't think I will. You're all jerks!" she snapped, turning on her heel and marching out of the room.

"Woah, wait girly, I'm notta jerk, really!" Haru stumbled out after her, and Jet quickly shut the door behind him. He looked down to see that Sokka had wrapped his arms around his leg and apparently fallen to sleep, as he was making little snuffly sounds. When Jet tried to get free, Sokka subconsciously tightened his grip and almost made him trip over.

"Zuko get over here and get your boyfriend _off my leg_!"

"I have a headache, leave me alone…" he moaned back.

"I don't care, get here NOW!"

"I can't hear you; I'm in my happy place…" There was a moment's pause, then Jet screamed.

Meanwhile, Toph was still trying to shake off her follower, who seemed very dedicated in proving he wasn't a jerk. She had taken him on a long, complicated tour of the university, but he hadn't given up chase for a moment. In fact, he was just as fast as her, especially as the walk was sobering him up somewhat. She was beginning to get tired of this extremely complex route back to her dorm, and so decided she would just have to shut him out when she got there. As she turned in the right direction, finally, he made another one of his pleas.

"I'm really not that bad once you get to know me, girly."

"Toph!" she snapped. "My name is _Toph_."

"I'm _really_ not that bad once you get to know me, _Toph_," he smiled, and she growled at him. He didn't seem to notice. Just then, her door came into sight and she broke into a run, which he matched. She quickly pulled out her key and opened the door, but as she was about to slam it in his face, Katara came up behind her.

"Hey Toph I need to ask you somethi…" she trailed off as she caught sight of the boy leaning in the doorway behind Toph. "Oh, who's your friend?"

"He's not my friend. He's Sokka's friend and I don't-"

"Well aren't you going to invite him in?" She smiled and adjusted Toph out of the way so he could come through. He smiled back at her.

"Thank you…"

"Katara, my name's Katara."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Haru." He managed to keep himself upright, much to Toph's dismay. Katara closed the door and sat herself down at her desk, turning her chair to face him.

"So Haru, you know my brother?"

"What? Oh, yes. I do."

"That's great!" she grinned. "So you two are friends?"

"Ummmm, yes."

"Well Haru," she asked, looking up at him. "Do you like camping?"


	23. Chapter 22

**Twenty Two**

After a few days, Toph didn't like Haru any better, although Katara was beginning to. She was especially annoyed when Katara had told her about the camping trip, and that Haru would be joining them. And worse still, when she had been told that morning by Sokka that Zuko insisted on joining them, and that Jet had agreed to come along, 'even though he was so busy with his studies'. She was pretty sure their motives weren't entirely innocent, but then again, she felt the same way about Katara's for inviting Haru. And, admittedly, though she would never confess to it, hers weren't either. The camping trip would start in three days, and seeing as private transportation was out of the question, they would have to get the train and then hike for another mile uphill. Although she found the idea quite pleasant, she was highly suspicious that Katara had agreed. Or Jet, for that matter, considering he hated doing anything that required effort. Knowing him, he would fake an injury and persuade Sokka and Zuko to carry him. The thoughts just made her even more huffy, and as she sat in her last lecture of the day, she felt the pencil she was holding snap.

On her way out, Katara caught up with her, keeping a slight distance as her mood was obvious. "Hey Toph, listen we were all going to go over to Sokka's room to talk about the trip, are you coming?"

"It's not Sokka's room, it's Jet's room," she muttered. Katara didn't hear her. The two headed in that direction anyway, and when they arrived and Katara knocked on the door, Toph couldn't help but notice she was acting happier than she should have been considering Jet and Zuko were inside. The door was opened by Sokka, who said hello boredly and returned to his seat on the carpet, along with Jet, Zuko and Haru. Katara joined them, sitting between Haru and Jet, then quickly changing her mind and sitting between Sokka and Haru instead. Toph leaned against the door. Sokka cleared his throat and addressed the group.

"OK, so we're here to sort out the details for this trip. Now, I know some of us know Aang, who is organising the site and stuff like that, and some of us don't." He glared over at Zuko. "But that doesn't matter. Even though this was all his idea. Anyway… Katara tells me that he tells her that there will be three tents." There was a pause.

"I'll share with Katara. And Toph, if you like." Jet said, grinning. He was ignored, save for a small glare from the former. Sokka continued.

"Yeah, well we can probably stick the two girls in together… but the rest of us will have to sort something out."

"Zuko, you and Sokka can share. We'll just stick your tent way over on the other side of the mountain, OK?" Jet said, receiving a frosty look from both of them. After sobering up, Sokka had snapped at Zuko and Jet, saying he wasn't going to lie about something so stupid, and told a very relieved Zuko the truth. He had not however, Jet had noticed, told Toph or Katara.

"I'll share with Aang." Sokka said. Zuko jumped in immediately.

"What? I'm not sharing with… _him_." He pointed at Jet, who he had been less fond of ever since the revelation. Haru put his hand up.

"Uh, does it really matter? I don't mind who I share with."

"That's because you don't know what they're like!" Zuko moaned, getting a little hysterical. "This is what they _do. All they do is torture me!"_

"But you won't ask for a different dorm room," Jet muttered.

"People!" Sokka yelled. "Can you all just shut up? This is fine, I know Aang, so it makes sense I share a tent with him. The girls are… girls, so that's fair too. And no-one wants to share with _either_ of you, Jet, Zuko. Why are you even coming?"

"Hey, you're not abandoning me here! Besides, I know people in the area," Jet said, his attention going to the floor.

"So do I," Zuko said.

"No," Jet instantly corrected. "You know a person in the area. A girl. About five foot three, brown hair, last seen significantly soggy. Ring a bell?"

Toph cut in before Zuko could attack him. "I don't want to spoil your fun, but the only person from the area we'll be seeing is Aang." Zuko pouted. She sighed. "I don't even know why I'm here."

"But Toph," Katara frowned. "We have things to sort out."

"I don't care; I'm not helping, am I? I'm going to bed, I'll see you later, Katara." Before she could object, Toph walked out and slammed the door behind her, whether deliberately or not. There was a pause, then Sokka started again, this time about cooking. Katara watched the door for a moment longer than the others, then rejoined the conversation.

After an hour or so of debating, or arguing, about who would bring what, do what and cook what, they were pretty much done. Katara stood up to leave, but was stopped by a hand on her wrist.

"You're not going yet, are you?" Haru asked her.

"Um," she started, slowly. "But we're done, aren't we? I have to go back and see if Toph is OK."

"Why don't you hang out for a while first?"

"Yeah," Jet agreed. "We could find something to do with four guys and a girl, I'm sure." Katara kicked him in the knee.

"Toph'll be fine, she's pretty tough," Sokka added, uninterested. He was going through the list he had made and wondering if he could get out of bringing the spoons.

"No, you should go and check on her, I want to go to sleep anyway-" Before Zuko could say anything else, Jet wrapped his hands around his mouth. He nodded, smiling to the others.

"Well…" Katara grudgingly sat down again. "What are we going to do?"

"Oooo! We should play 'spin the beer can'." Jet said, excitedly grabbing for the nearest object.

"Why does it have a flower in-"

"Never mind." Zuko snapped. "Let's just do this so I can go to sleep." He grabbed the can from Jet and spun it, irritated when it landed on himself.

"I dare you to go and proposition Toph," Jet smirked.

"What? Sorry, but I kind of like having my limbs _not_ broken."

"Katara then," he shrugged.

"She's _right over there_!"

Katara cleared her throat. "Seeing as he's so desperate to be involved, why don't you kiss Jet?" Jet glared at her, and for once she got to pull off the dirty smirk he usually adopted in her presence. Sokka suddenly became very interested in the game.

"That'll show you," he hissed.

Zuko glowered at the three of them in turn, then looked to Jet, grimacing slightly. Jet rested his head on one hand and shrugged. Zuko sighed. He leaned over, and gave Jet a quick peck on the cheek. Jet tutted.

"No tongue, sweetie?"

"Shut it."

Jet grinned, giving the can a twist, and frowning when it missed its intended target and landed on Haru instead. Katara smiled, starting to enjoy this. Haru looked slightly surprised, especially when Jet didn't follow Zuko's lead, and went for the mouth, obviously trying to prove he wasn't as wussy as his friend. After Haru quickly recovered, he too spun the can, receiving a loud groan from Jet when it pointed straight at Katara.

"Um," Haru mumbled, fiddling with a strand of his hair, "OK."

Katara also seemed a little shocked, she coughed, and closed her eyes. Haru bit his lip, but went for it. He kissed her gently on the lips, lingering for several seconds, and then she kissed him back. His eyes snapped open, and he pulled away. Her hand instantaneously went to her mouth in horror, as she realised what she'd done. After a second, he smiled shakily, and reached out a hand, but she had already turned bright red and was on her feet.

"I'm sorry, I'll, uh, I'll see you tomorrow." She hurriedly fled the room, leaving Haru stunned, and Jet gritting his teeth.


	24. Chapter 23

**Twenty Three**

By breakfast the next day, Katara had recovered somewhat. Toph had found it vaguely amusing that her friend had so ungraciously lost her cool, and had mentioned how glad she was she'd left early. As the two ate, the chair opposite was scraped back, and Jet fell into it. He flashed his teeth at them both and proceeded to talk without being invited to.

"How are you this morning Katara? You seemed awfully upset last night, but then again, I can understand that. I'm really very sensitive to your feelings, and I know that that girly freak bothered you, so are you OK?" She glared at him, and Toph sniggered.

"Fine, thank you."

"Good, because if anyone ever upset you, I'd want to help."

"That's nice." She continued eating, ignoring him. He tapped his fingernails on the table for a moment, trying to think of something else to say, but in the end he didn't have to. Haru appeared, hurrying over and stopping beside Katara. He smiled hastily at Jet before turning to her.

"Um, I just wanted to say I'm sorry-"

"How can you get here so early in the morning? Don't you work?" Jet cut in.

"Not this early… anyway, Katara, I'm sorry. I hope we can still hang out, I wouldn't want to ruin things."

She beamed. "No, not at all, everything's fine." He smiled nervously back.

"Well, good. Bye then, oh, bye Jet." And he walked off, unaware that all the while Jet was glaring at him. As soon as the boy was out of sight, he turned back to Katara.

"Oh, he's good." She gave him a look. Jet bit his lip angrily. "Coming over here like that, he's planning something. If he asks to talk to you in private don't do it."

"I know, you got me plenty of times with that one, remember?" she said, irritably. Toph snorted. Jet shrugged and wandered off, leaving them to finish up in peace.

The second Zuko got back to his room, Jet was upon him. Before he could say a word, his roommate was frantically babbling at him. It took all his strength to shove him away and get across the room to a chair.

"I'm telling you, he's no good!"

"Who's no good?" Zuko moaned, only just having got back from a shift selling tea, and not in the mood for one of Jet's turns.

"That Haru guy, he's _evil _I tell you." Jet waved his arms around, trying to convey just how evil he really was. "He's planning something! I bet that isn't even his real name!"

"What are you talking about?" He paused. "What have you taken?"

"Nothing, it's not me, it's _him_. He's going to hurt Katara, I just know it."

"Oh, that makes sense," Zuko said, losing interest. "It has nothing to do with your eerie obsession with her, then."

"My obsession? He's the one who's acting all '_oh Katara, I'm so sorry, Katara, I hope this doesn't ruin my chances with you Katara!'_" He clenched his fists, stomping back over to Zuko and sitting on the desk in front of him. "He's evil. We have to get rid of him."

"Of course, my shovel or yours?" He got up again and went over to sit on his bed. Jet followed.

"I don't think you appreciate the seriousness of this situation."

"You don't appreciate how much I am not interested in your social life."

The door opened and Sokka appeared. Jet was glad to have someone else to scheme with, until he saw Sokka had brought his new nemesis right into his base.

"Hi Jet, hi Zuko."

Jet ignored Haru and looked at Sokka. "What are you doing?" he hissed. Sokka glanced at him.

"Oh, right. Haru and I were going to hang out, talk about things, you're not doing anything secret in here are you?"

Jet growled quietly, but no-one heard him. Haru hesitated, then followed Sokka over to the other side of the room. Zuko was thankful for the moment of quiet, but his happiness was quickly destroyed when Jet appeared behind him and continued to mutter death threats for the poor unknowing boy into his ear. He just ignored them, appreciated the fact that there was no way Jet would shut up until Haru was out of his room, or dead. It took a long time for Sokka and Haru to finish doing absolutely nothing, and when he got up to leave Jet's eyes were on him in a second. Haru opened the door, then looked over his shoulder to Zuko and Jet, seemingly oblivious of the glower he was getting.

"I'll see you guys later then, I'm just going to go and tell Katara I'm going, and that I'll see her at the train station, OK?" Before he could even take one step, Jet was standing in front of him, smiling maliciously.

"I'll come too."

"Really?" Haru hesitated. "That would be great! Let's go." Jet was surprised when Haru pulled him gently out of the room by his sleeve, but the gesture only made him surer that the boy's downfall must be imminent. The two walked in silence to Katara's dorm room, although Haru didn't seem to mind, as he knocked cheerily on the door. Toph answered, and when he greeted her she frowned, calling inside to Katara and stomping back into the room. When Katara appeared, it was with a smile.

"Hi Haru," She ignored Jet's wave and bid for attention. "What are you doing here?"

"I just wanted to say I'll see you at the train station, and bye for now."

"Well, wait," She grabbed his arm, still oblivious to Jet's existence. "What are you doing now?"

"Um, I was going to get a coffee, or something." There was a pause. "Would you like to come?"

She beamed, much to Jet's distaste. "I'd love to! Let me get a jacket." As she disappeared back into her room, a thought came to Jet, making him smile just a little bit. He cocked his head towards Haru.

"You know… I don't know if Sokka told you, but she has a really nasty temper, that girl."

"Katara? Really?"

He nodded. "Oh yeah, really nasty. You know that thing on Zuko's face? That was her."

Haru gasped. "I thought that was a burn?"

Jet tried to stop himself smirking. "Oh, it is. She threw tea at him one day when he'd wound her up, I think he borrowed one of her books without asking, but that's Katara - she'll flip over anything."

Just then, the girl in question reappeared in the doorway, happy as can be. She didn't look capable of grievous bodily harm. Still, Haru kept a few steps away from her as the three of them strolled off in the direction of the nearest coffee shop. When they arrived, she volunteered to order, leaving Haru and Jet alone at the table. Jet decided that more was always better and leaned over to his companion again.

"Do you see that?"

Haru looked over at her. She was just ordering the coffee, asking the server if they had any marshmallows. "What?"

"Don't you see the way she's flirting with the coffee boy? Sometimes it scares me how easily it comes to her…"

Haru looked again. "Really? I hadn't noticed."

"Of course not, she's very clever, you wouldn't have known until it was too late. But hey, you're my friend and I don't want you to end up like the last guy…" He trailed off. Haru stared at him, already falling into the trap.

"What guy? Do you mean her ex-boyfriend?" Jet nodded. "What happened?"

"I don't know if I should tell you, it was pretty nasty, candid, poor Zuko will never recover…" He trailed off again, enjoying his work.

"You have to tell me! What if the same thing happens to me?"

Jet gasped. "You're right! I wouldn't want that…" He paused, clutching at his heart in mock grief. "… OK, I'll tell you, but only because I care about you. She and Zuko…" He cleared his throat.

"No way! I thought she couldn't stand him!"

"Oh, well, not anymore, but no, he was really smitten with her. It could have been true love, it really could, but one day the poor guy caught her… with his own sister…"

"No!" He stared at Katara again. "I would never have guessed it!" Jet nodded.

"Well, he was so upset over it all, so we never mention it. But, sadly, he's just one in a line… I'd hate for you to be next."

Just then, Katara finished paying and took a seat beside Haru, who flinched. She passed him his coffee, letting Jet get his own, and then took a sip of her latte. Haru kept glancing at her, and with a smile Jet got to his feet.

"I'm just going to the bathroom, back in a minute."

Haru couldn't help himself for more than five seconds. "Katara, do you really have it in for Zuko or something?" he spluttered, wincing when she looked at him.

"Um, I guess, but it's nothing he doesn't deserve."

"What do you mean? What did he do to deserve all of it?" She narrowed one eye, confused.

"Uh, what do you mean 'all of it'?"

"Well, I mean the tea, and his sister, and then pretending nothing's even happened? He's really upset, you know, did you ever even wonder if he was alright?"

Then was a pause, then she sniggered. "Have you been talking to Jet?"

"Yeah, so, what does that have to do with anything?"

She smiled, patting his hand. "Never listen to Jet, everything he says is a lie. He's just jealous."

"Oh… OK."

When Jet returned several minutes later, he was glad to see the two seemed considerably distant still. He took his seat again, nodding at Haru.

"Alright?"

"Yeah," Haru said, slowly. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Good." Jet drank his coffee, satisfied and without reason to pay his friends any more attention. Haru looked at him for a long while, before finally turning to his own.


	25. Chapter 24

**Twenty Four**

It was cold, miserable and rain dribbled down over the platform every now and again. The train had been delayed; twice. All the seats under the shelter were taken. To top it all off, it was only seven in the morning. Sokka and Zuko stood looking out over the tracks, waiting for their train to finally arrive. Somehow, they had ended up as the two who had to come and get the others if it arrived. Katara and Toph had gone to get water half an hour ago, and Jet had followed them to see if they were doing alright. Haru had supposedly gone to look at the schedule to check if the delay was going to continue for much longer. Zuko, who seemed to be feeling the cold more than Sokka, dropped down onto one of their bags and sighed.

"Don't you dare start," Sokka muttered. "I swear, the second any one of them comes back, I'm leaving them to watch you instead."

"I don't need a babysitter," Zuko hissed back, trying to warm up his arms. Sokka scoffed.

"First chance you get you'll abandon all our stuff." Zuko muttered something uncatchable under his breath. Sokka ignored it, but chose to join him on the pile of bags they'd been left with. They both wondered angrily if any of their friends would ever return, even if the train did eventually arrive.

Toph and Katara had long ago bought some water bottles, as well as mints and several magazines. Toph had pointed out that their bags were perfectly safe, and they'd hear the train from the shop anyway so there was no point in going back into the drizzly rain, Katara had quickly agreed, and now they were both leaning against one wall of the shop, Katara flicking through one of the magazines and Toph occasionally tripping up travellers who dared to enter their corner in search of a newspaper. Jet had passed them, but after being fiercely reassured that they didn't need any help, he had retreated to a spot outside the bathrooms, catching eyes with anyone who left the powder room. Haru had not been seen since he had left the platform. Eventually, the small building shuddered a little as the train arrived, and the three made their way out to Zuko, Sokka and more importantly their bags; apologising for the incredibly long line in the shop. Neither believed them. As they boarded the train, Katara paused.

"Where's Haru?"

"Haven't seen him, now come on Katara, you're blocking people," Jet said, ushering her inside.

"But he might not have heard it!"

"Oh, I'm sure he did…"

Before she could argue further, the doors slammed and the five of them were forced to find seats, Haru or no Haru. They managed to find four together, but Zuko volunteered to sit by himself, 'for the good of the group'. It seemed slightly less believable when he skipped merrily off to find somewhere quiet to sit. As soon as she touched her seat, Toph whipped a yoyo out of her pocket and dissolved into her own little world with no hope of rescue. Katara continued to browse her magazine. Sokka stared boredly out of the window as the train began to move. Jet was left a little surprised that no-one seemed to want to be social, even if it was early. He gave Sokka a nudge in the ribs.

"Hey, how far uphill is this site anyway?" Sokka glared at him but didn't say anything. Jet turned to the girls and tried again.

"What are you reading about Katara?" She didn't deign to look up. He made one last attempt.

"You're pretty good at that Toph."

"Thanks," she grunted, leaving no room for further conversation. Jet huffed, drumming his fingers on the table between them, much to the annoyance of his companions. Before long, Sokka wheeled on him.

"If you're going to make that horrible noise, go and do it somewhere else!"

Jet jumped to his feet. "Fine! I don't need you anyway, I'm going to go and sit with Zuko!"

"Fine, if he'll have you!" Jet glared at Sokka, but didn't continue the fight. He stomped off in the direction he had seen Zuko leave in. Sokka turned back to the window, and the other two continued their own things.

Zuko stretched out in his chair, smiling. He finally had some peace and quiet, and better yet it would last for the whole journey. Maybe he could even get some uninterrupted sleep for once. He was just starting to zone out, when a grumpy looking brunette leapt in front of him and started screaming in his general direction. He almost cried.

"Who does Sokka think he is? I'll do what I want with my nails, they're _my nails_!"

"Why me…?"

"Did you say something?" Jet frowned, dropping into the seat next to Zuko, who had dug his own nails into the armrests. He moaned and Jet glanced at him.

"Why won't you people ever leave me alone? Zuko; alone - why is that so impossible?" he whined. Jet shrugged.

"You love us really."

Jet was surprisingly quiet for the next half an hour, only breaking the peace occasionally to complain about how long it was taking to get to 'this stupid place'. As such, Zuko actually did manage to get a few moments of sleep, much to his delight. He had drifted off again, and Jet was carving something into the chair in front, when someone approached them. At first, neither noticed the quiet figure, until Jet realised the thing blocking his light wasn't going away. That's when he recognised them, and called out.

"I thought you'd missed the train!"

Haru blinked, half a smile on his face. "No, but I didn't find you until now. Where is everyone else?"

"Somewhere," Jet muttered, angrily returning to his work. Zuko groaned, unable to sleep through Jet's loud voice. He also looked up and caught Haru's eye.

"When did you get here?" he mumbled, stretching out and rubbing his eyes. Haru grinned.

"Just now. Do you have a spare seat?"

"No," Jet said, instantly.

"Sorry," Zuko added, with a look at Jet. Haru shrugged.

"There are none nearby..?"

"None, sorry," Jet said, too quickly. Zuko leaned his head in one hand, hoping Haru would just leave so he could get back to ignoring everyone around him. Haru did not leave.

"Well, I don't want to sit by myself, not now that I've found you again…" He thought for a moment. Jet had already started to ignore him again, and therefore was caught out when Haru came and sat on the armrest in between the two of them.

"What are you doing?" he yelped, Zuko sniggered slightly.

"I don't have anywhere else to sit," he said, matter-of-factly.

"Sit on Zuko," Jet grumbled, glaring at the boy in question, who didn't turn around to see it. Haru shrugged again.

"I could…"

"Go on, do it," Jet smirked. Zuko hadn't been paying attention, and his immediate reaction when Haru slid off the armrest to sit on him was to shriek and shove him onto the floor. Haru stared up from his new position, looking hurt. Zuko glared at Jet.

"That was your doing, wasn't it?" he hissed. Jet nodded.

"Yeah, I admit it, it was." He bit his lip for a second, before starting to giggle. Haru looked between the two of them, confused. Zuko cleared his throat, an evil little smile spreading on his face.

"It's sweet to offer Jet, but really, I'm sure you'd be… more comfortable to sit on." Jet's laughter snapped off instantly. "Really, I'm too skinny, you'd be better off on him, Haru."

"Mmmkay." Haru pulled himself up off the floor, and sat himself on Jet's lap instead. Jet's fists clenched, but he painted a sick smile of his own across his face.

"Haru, sweetie, do you mind if I just have a word with Zuko in private?"

"Sure," Haru said, getting off and wandering out of sight. As soon as he was gone, Jet grabbed Zuko by the collar, making him gag.

"This may be funny now," he whispered, viciously, "But as soon as the two of us are alone together, I am going to kill you with a tent peg." He let go of Zuko, then cheerfully, called out to Haru. Haru briefly wondered why Zuko was suddenly at least two shades paler, but forgot it and returned to his seat on Jet. For the rest of the journey, Jet absentmindedly held onto Haru and stared out at the country zipping by. Haru just sat pretty still and swung his legs occasionally. Zuko sat staring straight ahead, wondering if Jet was actually going to murder him with camping equipment upon their arrival.


	26. Chapter 25

**Twenty Five**

There was a shudder and Haru fell onto the floor. Instead of helping, Jet got up and made his way to the doors of the train which instantaneously opened. Zuko and Haru, rubbing his back where he'd landed, followed. The three climbed off and searched the crowd for the others. When they found them, Zuko couldn't stop himself asking why Toph looked so mysteriously green.

"I… hate trains…" she mumbled, bent over and clutching at her gut. "Travel… sickness…"

"There's no way she can walk to the campsite like this," Sokka huffed. "We have to wait."

"I was just going to find Aang now," Katara added, looking anxiously around for the familiar face. Haru smiled.

"I'll help if you like." She beamed back at him, clearly delighted, and nodded. The two disappeared into the masses, and those remaining made their way to the side to sit and wait. Toph took several long breaths, something that seemed to bother Sokka. Jet was already irritated by every tiny detail of Haru's personality, and so for once Zuko was the happiest one in the group. He smiled slightly and looked idly around the platform. Jet caught his eye, annoyed.

"What are you so happy about? Shouldn't you be thinking of a tent peg antidote?" Zuko gulped and let his gaze fall to the floor. Jet scoffed. When he knew he was no longer being watched, Zuko continued with a sneaky smile. Toph groaned, causing everyone to shift a few inches further away from her. They were all extremely welcoming when Katara and Haru returned with a flustered looking Aang.

"I heard Toph is sick, will she be alright? It's really not that far from here and we want to get the tents up before too long."

"I'll be OK…" she mumbled, getting unsteadily to her feet. For a second, it looked like it would be OK, then she collapsed back into her seat with a moan.

It took an hour of bottled water and starbucks cookies to get Toph safely back on her feet. They had only travelled for a further twenty minutes when Jet and Sokka started complaining they were hungry, and they had all had to stop for lunch. Then, finally, after various detours, shortcuts gone awry and breaks, they made it to the base of the hill they were camping on. Jet instantly collapsed onto the grass.

"I refuse to climb that."

"What do you mean? You have to," Katara snapped. He shook his head.

"Look at it!" The hill was indeed tall, and steep. Sokka and Haru, who had the current shift of carrying all the bags, looked slightly distraught. Only Aang and Toph seemed delighted at the concept.

"Oh come on, this is going to be great! Getting right back to nature, and dirt! Why are you all so unenthusiastic?" Toph grinned, staring blankly at the huge hill.

"You don't even know how big it is!" Jet complained.

Toph dismissed him with a flick of the wrist. "It'll be great!" she insisted.

"She's right you know; it _will _be great!" Aang added, smiling encouragingly at the five dismal members of their group.

"I'm in no hurry to get the tents put up," Zuko said quickly. "We could sit around here for a bit..?"

"Yeah," Katara said, apprehensively. "I mean, who needs to get all dirty just yet? We could all use a rest." There were various murmurs of agreement, save for Toph and Aang, who looked a little agitated. Irregardless, they took their seats on the floor with everyone else. Stretching out, Jet turned to Aang.

"So you've known Katara… and Toph… for how long?"

"Um," he shrugged. "Years."

"Riiight. So have I, just so you know. In fact, we all have, haven't we? All except for _you_." Jet pointed an accusing finger at Haru, who smiled dumbly and refused to be taken in.

"No, I've only known them for a while; I wish I'd known you all longer though - you're such nice people." As Haru beamed, Sokka, Zuko and Jet shared a look of disgust. Katara was overjoyed.

"That's so sweet! I wish you could have known us from before as well. Instead, I was stuck with Jet…" She glared at the accusing party, who merely held his hands out in mock helplessness. Aang cleared his throat.

"We need to get going soon."

Apparently 'soon' meant 'in two hours', and by the time they had climbed the hill, stopping several times to accommodate Jet's newly discovered joint pains, put up the tents, lengthened by Zuko's strange refusal to hold any tent pegs, and managed to sit back and relax again, it was well into seven o'clock. Sokka had gone off on his own to find a spot this far up with some signal, thinking that maybe he should text Suki and let her know he was nearby, just in case she wanted to see him. Toph and Zuko had landed cooking duty, much to everyone's disgust, but surprisingly no-one was willing to swap with them, either. Aang, Katara, Haru and Jet were left sitting around a patch of earth that would be perfect for a campfire, but did not contain one.

"So what's been going on lately where you are? We don't talk enough," Aang said, smiling at Katara. She thought for a moment.

"Nothing I guess… except for meeting Haru, of course."

Jet scowled, but it was dark and no-one saw. "Well, not nothing. You missed Sokka and Zuko's little consummation for one."

Katara cut in before Aang could ask questions. "Right. Except that was you. And while we're at it, don't forget your little kiss with Zuko, either."

Haru's eyes widened. "Really?"

"Really what?" Jet snapped, crossing his arms angrily.

Katara smirked. "Yeah. At his house. About the same time you told him you luuurved him, right?" Jet looked about ready to kill someone, and if anyone else had been talking, he may well have done. As it was Katara, he settled for the next best thing, and waited for whoever spoke next. He was not disappointed.

"When did this happen? _What_ happened - did he take it badly?" Haru didn't seem to sense the danger in opening his mouth. Jet snarled at him again.

"What are you going on about?"

"Well… is that why he's always mad with you? Did he not feel the same way?" There was a pause. Aang and Jet stared at Haru; it was quite hard to decide who looked more shocked. Haru looked from one to the other, still not getting it. "What? Is this a sensitive topic? Should I not be asking?"

Katara got to her feet, repressing a little bout of giggles. "Well, I guess I'll see you all in a while. I'm going to go and salvage what's left of the food - a blind girl and a masochist don't usually make the best cooks." As she turned to make her leave, Aang also stood hurriedly up.

"I think it's best if I come too, you never know how many hands you may need."

"Too many cooks spoil the broth…" Jet spat under his breath. The two of them left anyway, and Haru and Jet were left alone together in one of the heaviest silences in history. Before long, Jet couldn't handle it anymore. "I am not in love with Zuko, OK? Just so you don't get any ideas that the two of us are anything more than friends, if that."

Haru blinked, running his finger in a circle in the dirt. "OK. I kind of figured that you weren't anyway…" Jet still wasn't convinced; he deliberately turned Haru's face to his own so that he could measure his reaction.

"I care about him, that's all. That's all it's ever been and all it ever will be. He's just such an idiot sometimes… if no-one cared about him he'd probably be dead by now." Haru nodded. Feeling reassured, Jet turned away. His eyes wandered to a stick on the floor, which he picked up and used to stab the dirt. Haru watched him intently for a while, which made Jet feel a little uncomfortable. In the end, he was saved by the return of Sokka. Sokka was returning, it seemed, because he had finally found the one tiny patch of earth where he could send a message, and he had not received a welcome reply. In fact, if he were to follow the suggestions listed in Suki's colourfully worded answer, he would probably never need to see her or any female ever again. Sadly, when Jet mentioned this, rather than comforting him, it made him even madder. If the three of them hadn't been called to dinner, then at least one of them would probably have gained a black eye.

It seemed that despite everything, Zuko and Toph had actually made something edible. Whether Katara had helped or not didn't really matter. The seven managed to get through things with a minimum of insults, the majority from Sokka who refused to say whether or not he'd heard from Suki. Toph offered an interesting, and oddly accurate, rendition of what Suki would have said if she had replied. Still, as far as things go, it was pretty successful by their standards. All was as well as humanly possible, until it grew too dark and the group too tired to put off sleep anymore. Katara and Toph retired to their tent without a problem, as did Sokka and Aang. It was the other three who were less than enthusiastic. Without speaking to each other, they all entered in turn, set up their individual sleeping quarters, and sat. Seeing as it was them, they could not keep the peace for long.

"So, Zuko… for conversations sake… are you interested in Jet, at all?" Zuko stared at Haru in disbelief. Jet looked equally horrified. Haru merely smiled, but it was not his usual type of smile. "I'm just curious," he added, innocently.

"No. I'm not. Not _at all_," Zuko said slowly, the same look as someone who has just discovered a dead body hanging in their shower spreading across his face. Haru cocked his head to one side, still seemingly innocent.

"So… you've never thought about him that way? You've never… had one of those dreams, or anything? Nothing like that..?"

Zuko got abruptly to his feet, the effect ruined slightly by the low ceiling of the tent. "I don't have to sit here and listen to this slander! I don't know where you get your ideas from, but I'll have you know I barely even like him, let alone…" His face twisted in disgust and he marched out of the tent. Jet sat in silent shock, his mouth hanging open. Haru leaned boredly back, as if he had no idea why Zuko had been so insulted.

"What's up with him?" he muttered. Leaving the paralysis which had befallen him, Jet's attention snapped to Haru.

"What… was… that?" he whispered, seemingly unable to make his voice go any higher. Haru glanced at him and shrugged, nonchalantly. It was a little too much for Jet. He half crawled, half flew over to the offender, pressing his face up so that they were nose to nose. "What did I tell you?" he screamed. "I told you we had nothing going on between us! So what do you do? You _ask_! What part of that makes sense?" Haru sniggered, but the sudden shift in behaviour was lost to Jet's anger. "It's not _funny_!" Haru smirked at him, and this time Jet did take note.

"Well, it was hardly supposed to be. But how else was I going to get him to leave?" he whispered. Jet was now confused.

"What?" he mumbled. Haru shook his head, laughing a little to himself.

"You really are a bit slow, aren't you?" Jet didn't get a chance to defend himself. Before he was consciously aware of it, Haru had made use of the tiny space Jet had put between their two faces and kissed him. Frighteningly enough for Jet, it was not much like what had happened between him and Zuko before the ball. It wasn't even much like the way he had once kissed Katara. He shoved the other boy off and drew his knees up to his chest protectively.

"What are you doing?" he squeaked, unhappy about leaving himself open for the attack. Haru frowned at him.

"Oh come on, you can't honestly tell me you haven't been thinking about it."

"I can honestly tell you I have NEVER thought about it."

"But what about trying to get me away from Katara? Not that you had to…" he trailed off for a second, then met Jet's eyes again, somehow ferociously. "And what about when you kissed _me_? You could have just gone for the cheek if you weren't into me, you know."

"But I, I'm not…" Haru shushed him with a finger pressed firmly against his lips. Jet looked nervously up at him, for once in his life finding himself vulnerable. He didn't like the feeling.

"Just relax." Haru whispered. Despite the comfort, Jet couldn't relax at all. Especially when Haru kissed him again, harder, this time holding his face in both hands. Jet tried to pretend it was someone else, but the truth was, no-one he had ever met kissed him like that. It seemed like hours before Haru finally separated them. He sighed.

"You really didn't know, did you?" Jet shook his head frantically. Haru cursed under his breath. "You know, I really wouldn't have pinned you as my type, but ever since Sokka dragged me back from that pub crawl, as soon as I'd sobered up anyway, I could just feel something. Do you know what I mean?"

There was a pause. "I think I'm going to sleep somewhere else, if it's all the same to you," Jet squeaked, clambering to his feet and out of the tent as fast as his legs would carry him.


	27. Chapter 26

**Twenty Six**

Katara and Toph were clearing up after breakfast when a figure came staggering over to them. Their hair and clothes were messy and full of earth. Their eyes were still wide and it was obvious they had had very little sleep. Katara managed to mask any concern she had for the ill looking figure, and as they neared, she wrinkled her nose.

"You look like you've been lying in a ditch all night."

Jet gave her a withering look. "I have. Is there any food left?"

"Yes, but first explain."

He sighed. "Oh, I got into an argument with Zuko and Haru and they kicked me out. Please; I'm hungry."

Katara sniffed, and chucked him an apple. "Figures." She and Toph left for the sanctity of their own tent.

Zuko had slept well that night; mostly because Jet had mysteriously vanished and Haru hadn't said anything all night, save for a grunt of acknowledgement when he returned. Now, seeing Jet hungrily devour an apple, his hair smeared with dirt, he had to wonder where he had been. Jet didn't pay any attention as he approached, nor when he cleared his throat. In the end, Zuko just had to ask straight out.

"Where in the world did you go last night? You look terrible."

"G'mornin' to you too." Jet finished eating before so much as looking at his quizzical friend. "Off. I just went off, because I felt like it. OK?"

"No, it isn't," Zuko said icily, more and more curious. "Where? Why won't you tell me?"

Jet sighed, smiling to himself in a heavily dramatic manner. "You want to know? OK, I'll tell you. Haru was getting up in my grill and I couldn't take it."

Zuko frowned. "Well, the same with me, but _I_ came back."

Jet sniggered. "No, I mean literally 'up in my grill'. As in, his face and my face…?" Zuko still looked blank. "Oh my gosh, why are you so _thick_? He tried to kiss me, OK? I didn't want to sleep in a tent with him, do you _get it now_?"

Zuko stared for a second, then shook his head. "Nice. What really happened?" Jet looked at him in disbelief. Zuko shrugged. "Well, you don't expect me to believe that do you? I mean, he likes Katara, and I'm pretty sure he was trying to hook the two of us up anyway…"

A sudden maniacal grin found its way onto Jet's face. "Of course! He forgot to mention that when he had his tongue in my mouth. I guess I'd better just go and let these crazy ideas wear themselves out somewhere far away from all you sane people. Bye bye Zuko!" He turned on his heel and stomped off in the direction he had come from earlier. Zuko watched with bemusement, suddenly lost for what to believe. He didn't want to ask Haru, as either truth would be embarrassing to discuss. He returned to his tent to sit and think it over for a while.

"You've been acting really weird all day, are you alright?" Haru shrugged, and Katara's concern deepened. Ever since she had come to find him in his tent, only to see him slumped back on his sleeping bag staring blankly at the canvas sky above, she had been trying to get the cause out of him. So far, he had not said three words to her. She put her hand on his shoulder, in what she hoped was a comforting way. He looked at it miserably, then back to the ceiling. Katara sighed, upset that she couldn't seem to get through to him. "You can tell me about it if you like," she added, trying to encourage him, and giving his shoulder a little squeeze. He ignored her, and she shrunk away anxiously. This rigid, cold Haru was nothing like the bouncy, friendly one she knew. It was as if he was possessed, and it scared her a little. She gave him a shake, suddenly frightened. "Why are you acting this way?" He looked at her properly for the first time all day and realised how worried she was. He tried to smile.

"Hey, don't worry about me. I just have a bit of a problem is all."

"Well why won't you tell me it?" she said quietly. He took a long, drawn out breath, looking away from her increasingly watery blue eyes once again.

"Because it's complicated."

"Please..?"

"Alright." He hesitated, trying to postpone it for as long as possible. "There's someone who I like; a lot. I thought it was obvious but… now I really don't think they feel the same." He trailed off at the end, unable to say exactly who it was. She swallowed the lump in her throat, and nodded. Drawing up all her courage, Katara leaned in to try and make amends. Haru waited until their lips had almost met, and then he spoke, in a flat, calm voice.

"It's not you." She froze. He still wouldn't meet her eyes. "It's not you! I don't like you! I've never liked you - just go away!" She remained frozen, thinking that maybe this was a joke, a little payback for not coming clean earlier. But then she found his eyes, and saw what he had had to see the previous night. There was no love in the dulled, brown orbs. She got up and ran out of the tent as fast as she could, hiding her face. Haru sat and watched the retreating figure, yet another person he had driven away. He half wished he could have been easier on her, but now wasn't the time. She shouldn't have tried anything.

The walk in the fresh air was supposed to have been relaxing. Instead, only ten minutes or so away from the camp, he had come across her. She was crying, bawling in fact, and when he had tiptoed over he saw that her mascara had smudged all the way down her cheeks. She apparently did not notice him, whatever caused her tears far too consuming for that. He sat down beside her, knowing as he did so that he was absolutely the wrong person to comfort her.

"Why are you crying?" She ignored him. He tried again, a little louder. "Has someone upset you?" She neither stopped crying nor looked up at him.

"Go to hell, Zuko!" Her voice was furious. He wondered if there was even any point in trying again.

"Uh," he paused, not sure how to continue. "Did Jet do something?" She sniffed, trying to stop herself, but tears still rolled down her cheeks. She stared straight ahead to the horizon.

"No, stupid. If it was Jet I wouldn't be crying."

"Then… Toph, or Sokka?" She glared at him, the effect of streaming black make-up and her usual aggressive expression multiplied quite terrifying.

"It was Haru, OK? And I don't expect you to understand."

An uneasy feeling crept over Zuko. "What, exactly, did he say?"

Katara gave a short sharp laugh. "Well, I don't know why I'm telling _you_ of all people, but if you can't keep your nose out of it, he told me that he's in love with someone else and that he doesn't care about me even the tiniest bit. Happy?"

Zuko gulped. "He didn't say who did he? Not a name or anything?" Katara gave him a funny look, and then wiped her eyes on her sleeve.

"No. He didn't. It's probably some girl I've never even met."

"Right," he said quickly. "Well… I'm sure you don't need him anyway. He's kind of a pain in the ass sometimes."

"How do you know?" she spat, not at all willing to be comforted.

"Um, well…"

"Look, I'm really not in the mood for you right now, why don't you just leave?" She didn't say it meanly, and he took that as a compliment. He made his way off, with a quick glance over his shoulder to make sure she wasn't going to start bawling again. As he found his way back to the camp, a slightly cheerier but oddly guilty looking Jet appeared before him. Zuko was suspicious, as he always was when Jet approached him smiling for no good reason. Jet cleared his throat, his smile growing even wider. Zuko narrowed his eyes questioningly.

"Hey, how you doing? Good day?" Jet's tone was also ironically chipper after his fit in the morning. Zuko wondered if he had eaten anything strange he'd found off on his journey.

"I suppose. What are you so happy about?"

Jet hesitated, the smile weakening. "Hey Zuko, do you hate me?"

"Only in the mornings. And about half the times you open your mouth. Why?"

"Weeeell… You know that I usually don't think things through, right?" Zuko nodded. "And that I often do things in anger or stupidity that I regret later?" Another nod. "Well, you also know that I wouldn't ever do anything malicious, and that the things that could be considered as such are just me being… dumb, right?"

"What are you going on about?" Jet took a deep breath, never a good sign.

"It's just… after you didn't believe me about that little trauma of mine, I went for a walk to calm down and, naturally, not being the most thoughtful guy in the world, before I had calmed down properly, I came across a place where my phone could get signal and, may have sort of sent a message…"

"So?"

"Well, I just thought it was a good opportunity to send a text and, sadly, I was just scrolling through my numbers and, well, As are at the top, you know..?"

Every nerve in Zuko's body suddenly screamed at him. "Please tell me you didn't do what you're trying to tell me you did?!"

Jet coughed, the big, fake smile returning. "It just seemed like a good idea at the time. I mean, we're in the area, and I wasn't in my right mind - I had undergone a terrible trauma you know! And well, girls are girls, right? Especially ones that are actually going to show up if you ask them, and bring their own tents and a DVD player. I guess I wasn't thinking straight - do you, um, do you hate me now?"


	28. Chapter 27

**Twenty Seven**

A dark cloud had covered the hill. The rain had only just started, but if it was a sign of the overall mood, it would be getting much worse soon. Jet and Zuko sat at opposite ends of their tent, each with their own personal cloud hovering over them. Haru had crawled into his sleeping bag, despite it being early afternoon, and zipped it over his head. Jet had given up trying to talk to Zuko, who had not taken the news of his blunder well. He looked over at him again; Zuko remained statue-like in his silent portrait of anger. He was in no mood to be disturbed. The splatters of rain on the tent roof increased in number, just as a shadow appeared outside. Seeing no-one else move, Jet got up to let them in.

"Hey." Jet was relieved to see Sokka, who looked unimpressed at the occupants of the tent. He stepped inside and shook his wet hair. "What's going on in here, who died?"

"No-one," Jet muttered, returning to his spot on the floor. Sokka sat down next to him, still intrigued by the dark aura filling the tent.

"I just wanted to tell you that there were some people on their way up here. They had camping stuff; we're probably going to have to make room."

Jet groaned. "Three girls, right?"

Sokka thought on it. "I think so. One was wearing pink, but I couldn't really tell who they were, it's kind of misty out. Do you know them?"

Zuko had been paying silent attention to the conversation. "Yes," he said. "Jet invited them." Sokka nodded, not sure if it would be a good idea to ask who they were or not. Judging by Zuko's expression, the answer was no.

"How far off were they?" Jet asked, biting his lip. Sokka was about to answer, but faint voices outside did it for him. Jet sighed, getting up again and this time stepping out of the tent. Sokka was right, it was misty outside. It was also getting increasingly wet, and for once Jet had to pull his shirt sleeves all the way down because of the damp cold. He saw the hazy figures of Zuko's sister and her two friends spot him and approach. He could make them out properly when they were about two feet away. Azula looked a lot like her brother; sharp features, golden eyes and dark hair. The main difference was a spark in her eyes and a twist of her smile that suggested she was not so forgiving. The first of the others was a lean, athletic looking girl. She was the one wearing almost entirely pink that Sokka had mentioned. Her dark brown hair was held in a soggy plait much like Katara's. The final girl had a demeanour that matched the rain she strode through. Her black fringe had flopped over her face and no matter how many times she shifted it; it was back there again in seconds. Azula was in the lead, and reached Jet first. She smiled in the same way as a predator eyeing up a chunk of meat.

"Hi Jet, I take it you remember me then..?"

"Sure… Well, do you want to come in… it's… wet." The pink clad girl grinned at him and wandered past.

"Which one is it?" she asked, gazing between the three tents. She seemed almost oblivious to the rain.

"It's this one," he mumbled, letting the four of them into the tent he had come from. Zuko, who had remained motionless up until then, turned sharply to watch them enter his sanctity. Sokka didn't seem interested. Jet found an unoccupied piece of floor and filled it, followed by Azula who sat uncomfortably close to him. Her two friends hovered in the entrance, then the plaited girl's attention found Sokka. She skipped over and knelt next to him. He glanced at her; wondering why this strange girl had taken an interest in him. She beamed, much to his bewilderment.

"Hi, I'm Ty Lee, are you a friend of Jet's?" she babbled. He blinked, trying to mentally slow down everything she had just said.

"Yes," he said eventually. "I'm Sokka."

"Great to meet you! Do you live with Jet? Does Zuko live with you? Do you all go to his university?" Again, it took a while for him to sort it out.

"Yes… Sort of, and no, I don't go to university."

"Really?" Her eyes grew big. "That's so weird, you'd think you'd all go, so do you have a job, or is your family rich? Do you earn your own money, and how come you know Jet and Zuko so well?"

He was about ready to give up. "I work in a fish and chip shop and Jet used to date my sister."

"Is your sister nice? Is she here in one of the other tents? Does _she_ go to univ-"

"Isn't that enough, Ty Lee? You'll get plenty of chances to talk to him later," Azula said quietly. "After all, we'll be staying with my brother and his… friends," she looked approvingly at Jet, "for a few days. Take your time."

"Yeah, besides you're giving me a headache." The third girl had spoken. She still had not moved from the tent entrance, but now she did, making her way to the largest available space in the tent. She sat down on the sleeping bag, but jumped up again as Haru unzipped it and sat up, looking puzzled at the sudden increase in strangers.

"What's going on?" he asked, pulling his knees up inside the bag. Ty Lee smiled at him.

"Who're you? Do you know Jet and Zuko and Sokka as well? Do you go to their university with them?"

Haru paused for a second. "OK, really, tell me what's going on!"

"I'll tell you," Azula said, clearing her throat. "My friends and I are going to be joining your little camp out. I hope that's not a problem." Although she said it rather sweetly, it was implied that anyone with a problem would quickly lose some limbs.

"OK, fine. Who are you though?" Obviously Haru had not noticed the family resemblance.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I'm Zuzu's sister." Across the tent, Zuko twitched. Azula stared at him, and he glared back. "What's the matter, brother?" she said, the same faux sweetness oozing from her voice.

"You've forgotten how to pronounce my name," he muttered, still glaring. She cupped a hand to her ear.

"What was that, Zuzu? I'm afraid _we_ didn't catch it over here." To emphasize the point, she put her hand on Jet's knee. He froze; staring hard at Zuko and hoping he wouldn't leave the way open for anything else. Zuko sniffed and looked away, irritated but not willing to make a show of it. Jet saw the opportunity to leave. He was halfway to the entrance before a cough stopped him in his tracks.

"Oh, uh, I was just going to… ask Katara and Toph if they'd like… to join us! Be back soon! Don't worry…" He dashed out of the tent, leaving the others perplexed or, in Azula's case, annoyed. The rain had subsided a little, but the dribbling he was exposed to as soon as he was out in the open still bothered him. He made his way to Katara and Toph's tent, hoping the two were in a good mood. When he let himself in, he saw that neither seemed particularly conscious, let alone social. Toph was lying on her back, gnawing on a stem of grass absentmindedly. Katara was buried face first in a pillow. She may have been dead. Jet flipped her over and realised she wasn't, although she may as well have been. She was uncharacteristically apathetic, and didn't even yell at him for being there or touching her. She just sighed and attempted a half-hearted glare.

"Are you alright?"

"Go away."

"No, really," He sat down next to her. She stared blankly ahead and ignored him. "What happened?"

"Nothing happened. Nothing ever happens to me."

Jet half laughed. "Of course things happen to you. But right now, things are happening to me, Zuko and your brother. And Haru, I guess. In the other tent."

"So..?"

"We've been invaded." Toph turned over to them, her attention sparked.

"By who?" she asked.

"Zuko's sister and her friends. For some reason they just showed up here today."

Toph sniggered. "Right. Yeah, I remember his sister; she's a pain in the ass. Is she ever gonna leave?"

"Not for a while," Jet sighed. He looked back down at Katara who seemed only too happy to be forgotten from the conversation. "You're not going to tell me what's bugging you, are you?"

"Why would I?" she murmured. He frowned.

"Well… if you change your mind, I'll be in the other tent. Or dead. Whatever seems appropriate." He started to get up, but stopped. Before he left, he gave Katara a quick squeeze, which she ignored. With half a smile, he said goodbye to Toph, and went back to the tent now occupied by harpies.


	29. Chapter 28

**Twenty Eight**

"This isn't a permanent solution, you know."

Jet ignored Zuko's cynicism. Instead, he chose to enjoy the moment; however unpleasant it was, at least it was better than the alternative. The two had snuck off from the camp in the early hours of the morning to get a break from their guests. Unfortunately, the only place to go had been a certain ditch and the rain had left it muddy and extremely uncomfortable. Jet managed to maintain a certain degree of optimism purely because they were the only two there. Zuko was still sour.

"If we ignore them, maybe they'll go away."

"It doesn't work on you," Zuko muttered under his breath. They fell to silence again, but it wasn't long before the smell of wet earth got to him. "Look, I'm going back. I managed to put up with them for sixteen years, what are a few more days?" Jet shrugged, secretly annoyed that he'd now be alone in a ditch, but didn't see the point in arguing with Zuko when he was determined. Irritated that Jet didn't seem to be inspired and hadn't got up to follow him, Zuko stomped off on his own.

Things were, however, looking much brighter at the campsite. Azula had had a minor hissy fit when she realised they were down two teenagers, and so had retreated to her tent. Mai had gone with her, either to keep her company or because there was nothing better to do. Aang, Katara and Toph had gone for a walk. The remaining three were gathered outside one of the tents. Haru had almost finished moping, and even managed to laugh occasionally at one of Sokka's jokes. Sokka himself sat in the middle, enjoying being the centre of attention. Ty Lee sat next to him, leaning over and appearing genuinely interested in his prattle. The peace was ruined as soon as Zuko tore through, stopping in front of them and crossing his arms violently.

"Zuko," Sokka said, matter-of-factly. "Where have you been all morning?"

"Around," he snapped. "Where is my sister?"

"Tent," Sokka replied, turning to point and jumping when Mai appeared out of nowhere. She coughed, glancing away.

"Hello Zuko. Ssss-"

"It's Sokka."

"Right." Her eyes stayed on the floor. "Azula wanted me to check if anyone… of interest was around. I don't really want to go back though, she's in a mood."

"So stay. Why does it matter?" Zuko spat. She nodded, disheartened. Ty Lee patted the floor next to her, and Mai went and sat with her. Ty Lee gave her friend a quick hug, then turned back to Sokka.

"So what were you saying about your dream?"

"Uh," Sokka's eyes darted to Zuko, who scowled and skulked off. "Well, after I left Suki; oh, she's my ex, I had a few weird dreams. I don't know, I guess my mind was still reeling from the shock of it all. Uh, I hadn't planned to dump her, so it was a shock, you know?" She nodded. Mai rolled her eyes. "Anyway, there was this one in particular where I was dancing… I think. And she was there, and Toph was there; it was horrible."

"You poor thing, it must have really messed you up," Ty Lee cooed sympathetically, squeezing his shoulder. He half smiled back, making eye contact.

"Yeah, I guess it did. I'm really too sensitive underneath my manly shell." She nodded again, and Mai accompanied with an imitation of being sick. Even Haru looked ashamed of the performance. Ty Lee seemed to be honestly concerned for his wellbeing.

"Were they mean to you in the dream?" He nodded.

"Yeah. Toph especially, for some reason she always is in my dreams. This time she was all distorted and evil, it was sick."

"Do you know why?" Ty Lee's eyes had grown by about three times their normal size. He hesitated.

"Well… I suppose it's because I've knocked her back in the past. I have no idea why she ever thought I liked her. But… it seems to have had a permanent affect on me."

Just then there came a strangled noise from the side of the tent; a combination of a sob and a shriek. The four of them all turned to look to see that Aang, Katara and Toph were back from their walk. Toph's face had collapsed, and she bit her lip hard. Katara and Aang were both staring at her, unable to decide what to do. Sokka was paralyzed with a dopey expression caught on his face. The pause lasted almost a whole minute, before he got to his feet and took a step towards them.

"Toph-"

"Stay away from me!" she screamed. She sprinted off in the direction she had come from before anyone could stop her. Aang glanced at Katara, then ran after her. Katara stared at her brother, her eyes gleaming with poison.

"How could you..?" she hissed. He shrugged, anxiously, desperate to forget the mistake. She was having none of it. "You… you know how she feels about you! How could you just go around DECLARING something as HURTFUL as that? What gives you the RIGHT to be so damn CRUEL? WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?!" Sokka cowered away from his sister's wrath. She took a long breath, then turned on her heel and headed after her friend. Unfortunately for him, Zuko happened to be standing in the war path at the time. He looked over to her.

"Where are you going?" She ignored him. When he took a step across her, also feeling confrontational, she stopped. "Is it so important..?" A smile broke out on her face, one that made him wince and consider that maybe aggression had not been the best cause of action.

"Oh, you want to know where I'm going..? I'm going to go and comfort my friend. You see," The smile was still there, a warning that she was about to explode. And as she said the next line, she did. "She was just ABUSED by one of your STUPID ROOMMATES. Just to CLARIFY that, my BEST FRIEND was just HUMILIATED by one of YOU VILE PIGS! Now; would you like to get out of my way..?" He was gone before she said the word.

Katara found Toph sitting on a big flat rock a fair way away from the campsite, clinging to Aang's shirt and shaking. She was clearly trying not to cry. Katara couldn't help but appreciate the irony; the two of them ending up in the same situation on the same trip. She sighed and went over to her. Aang seemed quite thankful when Toph immediately switched to Katara, burying herself in her friend's shoulder instead. Katara gave him a sad smile and he nodded, making his leave. As soon as he was gone, Toph let herself cry a little. Katara comforted her, letting her get it out before asking the inevitable question.

"Oh Toph, why do you care what he thinks?"

"I- don't- care-" she gulped, still sniffing, tears dripping from her cheeks and into Katara's lap.

"You can talk to me. Look, I don't care if he's my brother, he's an ass - you shouldn't waste your time on him." Toph snuffled, the flow of tears slowing. Katara went on, hoping she was making leeway. "Really; he doesn't care about anything. Well, except for his hair. I swear, sometimes it's hard to believe we're related." The tears had stopped almost completely and Toph had stopped shaking. "Toph, he is the one who's blind. You're lovely." She looked up at her with big wet eyes. Katara smiled warmly back at her, and Toph tried to mimic the gesture, if shakily.

"Am I?" she said, her voice wobbly, but much happier.

"Yes. You are. You're lovely and you're beautiful."


	30. Chapter 29

**Twenty Nine**

Overall, the day seemed much cheerier than any of its predecessors. Although she refused to see anyone save for Katara and Aang, Toph was perkier than yesterday, and in turn Katara seemed to have got over her own misfortune. Zuko had decided to stop planning to kill Jet, mostly because he was sadistically pleased that Azula had turned her torturous eyes away from him for any length of time. Azula herself was just happy she'd found someone she deemed worthy of her eyes. As a matter of fact, the only people who still seemed down were Jet and Haru. And because of their general mood bringing everyone else down, they had been chosen to go and refill the water bottles. When Jet had complained about how heavy they were, Zuko and Mai had been volunteered to go with them. The four of them made their way through the grass at the bottom of the hill, hoping the nearest shop wasn't quite as far as it had seemed on their way up. Haru led the way, mopey and distant still, deliberately walking fast so everyone else had to hurry to keep the pace. Jet was behind him, less gloomy now that he was away from the camp and its residents, although Zuko's twisted smile didn't seem to do anything for him. Zuko and Mai followed on at the back, walking at an equal speed. Suddenly, Mai caught her shoe in a hole and collapsed to the ground with a little shriek. Everyone stopped, and Zuko ducked to offer her a hand.

"Thank you," she mumbled, red. She took a step forward, then crumpled again, this time snatching her foot in pain. Haru sighed, annoyed that they wouldn't be finished with the mundane errand any time soon. Zuko and Jet both knelt down to see what was the matter, although only one did it out of concern. Jet just happened to have found yet another way to entertain his morbid curiosity.

"Have you twisted it?" he asked, reaching out to touch. Mai pulled her foot away before he could go anywhere near it, scowling.

"You probably have, if you can't put weight on it. We can get some ice with the water." Zuko went to touch it now, the main difference being that he was allowed.

"Well how will we get her there if she can't walk?" Haru sighed, joining the other three on the ground. Zuko shrugged, dropping the foot.

"Oh! We could carry her," Jet suggested. Mai seemed thrilled.

"There is no way in hell I'm being carried," she spat. Haru actually shuffled back a little.

"Well, what else can we do? Unless one of us stays here with you while the other two go and get a first aid kit," Zuko said. Mai nodded, but both Jet and Haru scoffed at the idea.

"There is no way we're getting water on our own," Haru said flatly.

"He's right; it's too heavy for us anyway."

Zuko groaned. "Then you'll just have to be carried, Mai."

"What? Why don't I get a say?" she said angrily, digging her sharp little nails into the dirt.

"Because, sweetie, you hurt your foot," Jet smiled. She glared back. "I'll do it," he added, getting to his feet. Zuko joined him with a frown.

"I don't think so. I'll do it."

"Oh yeah? Why should you do it; how many girls have you ever carried?"

Zuko went completely red. "Well… you'll do it wrong. What do you know about being gentle?"

"Nothing. Which is why I get the former."

"Don't be ridiculous!"

"You're BOTH being ridiculous!" Mai yelled from the floor. The three of them looked at her, and then Jet and Zuko looked at each other.

Half an hour later, the group's spirits had gone downhill somewhat. Zuko and Jet walked at the front, occasionally jabbing one another in the ribs, even if it was always an accident. Haru stumbled along at the back, Mai clinging to him with her arms around his neck. There was a cry of delight from him when the small shop came into sight just down the road. Picking up speed, the three boys made it to the shop in less than five minutes, with Mai bobbing angrily all the way. The smiles were wiped from their faces as soon as the read the 'closed' sign stuck on the door.

Toph had decided to take a much needed nap, so Katara and Aang had wandered off by themselves. Aang blinked up at the sun with a grin as the two of them made their way to a spot overlooking the valley below. Katara sighed with lazy joy at the view.

"It's lovely, isn't it?"

"Mmmm."

Katara reached up and freed her hair, letting the wind pick it up and play with it. Aang watched her, but she either didn't notice or didn't mind. She tucked the hairband into her pocket and turned to him with a soft smile.

"What do you do when I don't see you?"

The question took him by surprise. "What do you mean? Lots of things, mostly training for when I become a fully fledged monk, although…" he hesitated. "I haven't been so good with that lately."

"What do you mean?" she asked, concernedly.

"Look, maybe I've changed my mind, is that alright?" he snapped. Katara was stung. He sighed, and although he looked away, he squeezed her hand. "It's just… you have no idea how big a commitment it is. For my whole life, I'll never get to do the 'normal' things everyone else does. I just wonder sometimes if I was too hasty making the decision."

"Oh Aang, you don't want to give up what you love just to be like everyone else, do you?" He looked at her now, wide eyed and awed.

"You really think I should go through with it?" he said quietly. She nodded.

"Of course! I mean, you're one of the happiest, most fulfilled boys I know. Look at Jet, and Zuko, and Sokka - they aren't happy. Well, Jet's sometimes happy, but you get my point."

"I suppose so… but what if I wanted to get married or something like that? I couldn't…"

"I know it must be hard… but… well, none of them seem to be too happy with that idea. Jet'll probably die before committing to anything, Sokka couldn't even manage it with Suki, and Zuko..? Don't get me started…"

"So… you think I should go for it? Even if it means I'll never have… anyone..?" Aang waited tensely or her response. After a moment or two, she shrugged, smiled, and stood up.

"Do whatever makes you happy," she said warmly, then left in the direction of the camp.

Jet wiped his sodden hair out of his eyes with a grin. Although they'd all been upset about the lack of store bought water, especially Haru who had screamed, they had fortunately come across a river on their way back to the hill when Zuko had chased Jet into the bushes for telling Haru and Mai the story regarding him, Sokka and the spare bed in their dorm room. Jet waved at Zuko from the river.

"Get in the water!"

"No," Zuko called, seemingly perfectly comfortable a foot away on the bank. "I don't like swimming."

"Everyone loves rivers! Come on in!"

From her spot at the side, Mai tutted. She had chosen to fill up the bottles in the river. It also meant she could soak her ankle at the same time. Haru lay in between her and Zuko, staring up at the clouds and fiddling with a pebble. Jet was the only one who had wanted to dive into the river, not even regretting it when he realised it was freezing cold. Still, even with his reassurance, no-one would join him. After they'd spent a good hour at the river and all the bottles were full, Jet got bored of being the only one soaking. He pulled himself up onto the bank and turned his attention on his newly found prey. Zuko turned around when he realised he was being dripped on, and saw with dismay the look on Jet's face. He shook his head.

"Jet I swear, if you get me near that water I will… uh…"

"Can't think of any threats, eh?"

"That doesn't mean there aren't any!" With a tut, a devilish smile spread on Jet's face and he leant down next to Zuko. Before he could defend himself, Jet had scooped him up into his arms.

"Put me down right now!" Zuko squawked, squirming but finding he was unable to free himself. Jet continued walking slowly to the river's edge.

"What are you, anorexic? You barely weigh a thing." And with that, Jet tossed his hapless friend into the water then jumped in after him. Mai watched in amusement as Zuko surfaced, hugging himself and shivering. Even Haru smiled at the sight of the boy' teeth chatter.

"I- can't- stand- you," he stuttered in between shakes, still adjusting to the icy cold of the water. Jet smirked.

"You'll get used to it in a second." He seemed to think briefly, then peeled his shirt off with some difficulty. He tossed it onto the shore then raised an eyebrow at Zuko who stared at him in shock. He opened his mouth to ask why, but was interrupted by a splutter from Haru, who had gone pink and quickly turned away. He nodded to himself then asked what Zuko was staring at.

"Why did you do that?" Jet gave him a look that implied he was talking to an idiot.

"Because it's wet, stupid. It'll only make me colder if I leave it on. Not to mention heavy." There was a pause, then the dirty smile Jet was so proud of returned. "Hey, if you're so worried about the cold, you need to do it too."

"Say what?" As always, Zuko had left too much time for Jet's plan to take hold in his mind, and Jet helped Zuko to take his own shirt off before he even knew it was happening. He pushed himself further under the water as Mai had a similar coughing fit to Haru and also averted her eyes. "You're such a pervert," he hissed. Jet nodded, shameless.

"And you didn't know that already..?" Zuko sighed. He considered climbing to shore, reclaiming his now wet shirt and making his own way back, but as he watched Jet do a flip in the water, he decided that, just this once, he would relax.


	31. Chapter 30

**Thirty**

It was only hours until it was over. Ten hours, maybe, but still only hours. Sokka prodded the last embers of their fire with a stick. Everyone else had gone to their tents to get in some sleep before the train journey the next day; except for Ty Lee. She sat in all her fuchsia glory next to him and watched the dying sparks with intent interest. He glanced at her with a little smirk and she smiled back, softly. They kept eye contact for a while in the fading light of approaching night, attached to one another by an invisible scarf. Then with a nervous giggle she looked back down to her lap. He continued to watch her, and so she turned to face him once again, not wanting to be left out of the staring contest. She stretched her arms slowly above her head, as if she was actually quite tired after all and being here was a chore.

"Tell me again about Suki..?" she asked lazily. He grinned, taking the question as a chance to look away himself.

"Well," he started, drawing it out playfully. "She's a friend from back home. And she has brown hair-"

"Like mine?" she cut in, teasing. He sniggered.

"No, not like yours. Yours is long and soft. Anyway, she knows how to fight, better than most girls-"

"Better than me..?" Their eyes had met again, and her smile had grown.

"No. She's not better than you. But still, for a while, I really liked her."

"You told me."

"Well I did. But everything comes to an end, doesn't it..? Especially if it's-"

"Not quite right?" He smiled at her.

"Yeah, that's it." She smiled warmly back, and gently put her hand on top of his. He glanced at it, blinked, and then kissed her on the cheek. She blushed, never losing the smile, and gave him a quick peck in return. He kissed her on the lips. She responded. But then, after several seconds, she pulled away and stared down at the ashes.

"What?"

"You- you're going away tomorrow, Sokka. I've no idea if I'll see you again."

"_When_ you'll see me again." She sighed, meeting his eyes. He stared at her for a good minute, then groaned and buried his head in his hands.

"This happens too often…" he muttered. She didn't catch it. There was a long pause. Ty Lee stared dimly at the ashes of the fire that had blazed in front of them so recently. Now it was dead. Sokka drew himself out of his bubble of pity, and held her hand lightly.

"Well then, goodnight. And goodbye, I guess."

Meanwhile, neither Toph nor Katara could get to sleep. It was too early to try, especially after not doing anything tiring for days. Katara lay curled up in her sleeping bag with her back to Toph. She had her eyes closed tight and was trying to sleep. Toph had pretty much given up; she lay on her back with her eyes to the ceiling, thinking about things. Eventually, she rolled over to whisper to her friend.

"Katara..? Are you awake?"

"Yes," she hissed back. "But I'm trying to sleep."

"Alright." Toph waited for twenty seconds. "Katara..?"

"What is it Toph?" she groaned.

"Why do you hate Jet so much?"

"You know why-"

"Well, not really. You never talk about it. I know you used to go out, but surely you've got over that by now..?"

"It's not that we went out, it's that he… well… he just didn't end it well, OK?"

"OK." Another pause. "Why do you hate Zuko..?"

"I… Toph just go to sleep."

"You never tell me these things!"

Katara sighed. "Because he's an_ ass. _Is that good enough? Are we done, can I sleep now?"

"One last thing."

"Yeah..?"

"…Did you mean it when you said I was beautiful?"

In one of the other tents, Haru was also wide awake. He thought he was the only one, as Zuko could be heard distinctly making little groans and snuffles across the floor, and Jet was silent. But then Jet gave him a nudge on the shoulder. Haru didn't bother to turn around at first, but Jet gave him a harder prod and so he was forced to.

"What do you want?" he hissed, glaring. Jet looked as if he was asleep, or had been until very recently, aside from the slightly open eyes.

"I'm sorry."

"Of course you are. Sorry you didn't stop me, I'll bet."

"No, really. I should have said it earlier. I didn't want to upset you like that."

"Oh well. It's not like it matters, is it?" Jet blinked, and it became apparent that he was more awake than he had first seemed.

"Yeah," He reached out to poke Haru gently with his index finger. "'Course it does."

"Well… thanks." Haru started to turn away again, but Jet caught him out with the next sentence.

"How much do you love me?"

"I don't… I don't _love_ you Jet, I just…"

"How much do you _want_ me then..?"

Haru gulped, and Jet smiled, not entirely innocently. "Why would you even want to hear about that..?"

"'Cause."

"But why? Won't it freak you out?" From his voice, you could tell that talking about it freaked Haru out. Something that just seemed to make Jet more interested.

"Because I thought about it."

Haru laughed nervously. "Well, that makes me feel better. Thought about what exactly..?"

"About you, and me…" He looked into his eyes and it was clear that, even though he was smirking, he was being serious. "It weirded me out at first, I'll admit. But I thought that, maybe… we could work something out…"

Haru gasped. "You don't mean that! Stop messing with me, it isn't fair! Why? Why have you suddenly changed your mind?"

"Because," Jet sighed. "Katara hates me. All girls hate me, in fact, once they get to know me. I bet even Zuko's sister would after a bit. So, what have I got to lose..?"

"It's not about what _you've_ got to lose, Jet! I'm a human being! You can't just pick me because no-one else will have you!" Jet stared at him, Haru glared straight back. Jet sighed.

"Then show me it's worth it." Before Haru could argue anything else, Jet had crawled out of his sleeping bag and made his way carefully over to where Zuko lay. Haru was about to ask what he was up to, but Jet shot him a look that told him to be quiet. Making sure not to wake him up, Jet slowly drew Zuko up into his arms, carried him over to the tent entrance and, with some difficulty, opened it. He dropped Zuko down by the embers of the campfire and hurried back, rezipping the entrance as he did so.

"What if it rains? You can't leave him out there," Haru hissed. Jet smiled. "Well, you should have at least put him in with Sokka and Aang…" Jet ran a finger down Haru's face. "On second thought, it's a nice night…" Haru reached over and joined their hands. "You're sure about this..?" Jet nodded. Haru took a deep breath. "Then… what's stopping you?" It took a second for Jet to understand, but then he separated their fingers. For a fleeting moment, Haru thought that maybe he had changed his mind, but Jet used his freed hands to hold the boy's face as he leaned in and kissed him. Then his shoulders. When they eventually reached his waist, Haru stopped him. He opened his mouth to say something, but either couldn't, or decided it was better left unsaid. He kissed Jet, and Jet kissed him back, and he let him put his hands wherever he wanted.


	32. Chapter 31

**Thirty One**

"Oh! Oh no! Oh. My. God. NO!"

Apparently it had rained after all. A lot, in fact. Zuko had just woken up to find this out for himself. He had found that he was no longer in a tent, but was in a large puddle, one that could give the river from the other day a run for its money. He hadn't been able to see the puddle right away, as his now saturated hair had been covering his eyes. He gave another scream for good measure as he stood in the middle of the new sea. Sadly, the first person to come to his rescue was Sokka, closely followed by Aang. Sokka stood for a moment, rubbed his eyes and stared at the sight again to make sure he was seeing it right. There appeared to be a skinny, soggy figure dressed in red and shivering in the middle of what looked like the sight of a water balloon massacre. He had to double check with Aang to make sure they both saw it. Then, recognising them, he smiled with glee and hurried back to his tent. Zuko stood and sniffed, not quite sure what was going on. Aang also seemed bemused, but couldn't help but grin when Sokka returned with a camera. Zuko snapped to attention and tried to get out of the way as Sokka dutifully started taking pictures. In doing so, he managed to land face first in the puddle.

"This is going on myspace," sniggered Sokka, dodging an even wetter Zuko's fist. He scurried back to his tent, but Aang stayed and helped Zuko over to his own tent before leaving himself. Zuko managed to unzip the tent in his fury and stumbled inside. Both Jet and Haru looked up guiltily at his entrance. There was about a second as Zuko took a breath before he exploded.

"WHAT was that all about?! I wake up to find you just DUMPED me outside?! WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?"

Jet cleared his throat. "There is a very good reason we did what we did," he said quietly.

"Oh yeah? WHAT COULD BE THAT GOOD?!" Haru giggled and Zuko snarled at him. Jet got to his feet and tried to coax Zuko into sitting down. He wouldn't.

"Look, it doesn't matter. Now; you're angry, and that's perfectly fair. BUT it's over now and it doesn't matter. Besides, you don't have time to yell at us, we need to get ready to go." Jet smiled encouragingly and Zuko blew irritably through his soggy hair.

The train was due to arrive any minute. Aang had come down to the station to see them off, and was just finishing his goodbyes. Zuko was still extremely irritated, and his hair was only just starting to dry. Toph was apparently mentally preparing for the train journey. Sokka would probably have been more annoyed if Zuko hadn't unwillingly cheered him up. Aang gave Zuko a quick wave.

"See you," Zuko glared at him and made a snarling noise like an angry cat. Aang flinched away, and turned to the last person he had to say goodbye to. Katara was staring idly out at the railway tracks, waiting for the train to come in. When he tapped her shoulder, she jumped, but then smiled.

"This is it then, I guess I'll see you…"

"Soon," she added, hugging him. He hesitated, waiting for her to say something else. She didn't. He smiled for the last time, turned away, and walked off with a sigh. There was a clatter as the train arrived to drag them all back to normality. They rushed inside, looking for seats. They found four together.

"I want to sit with Katara," said both Sokka and Toph in unison.

"I don't want to sit with any of you, but especially not _them_," Zuko hissed, jabbing a finger at the offending Haru and Jet. Haru grinned.

"That's fine, we'll sit together," he cooed, wrapping his hand around Jet's and smiling caringly at him. Everyone except Toph stared. Jet cleared his throat nervously, and loosened their hands. Haru gave him a questioning look.

"Yeah, see you all at the place," Jet said hurriedly and dragged Haru off to two available seats. He could still feel their friend's eyes following them in amazement and it made him blush. When they were both sitting down, Haru turned on him.

"What was that?" he asked, softly. There was a real urgency behind his voice. Jet sighed, not looking at him.

"Well," he started awkwardly. "It's just… why did you have to do that in front of them all?"

"What do you mean? I thought-"

"Yeah, well _I _thought this was just a casual thing, I didn't know you wanted everyone to know about it!"

Haru laughed, amazedly. "Oh, so you're that ashamed of me then…?" Jet shifted in his seat uncomfortably.

"It's not that, it's just-"

"No, it is! You don't want anyone to know because you're embarrassed of what being with me makes you look like. Tell me I'm wrong!" Jet didn't say anything. Haru nodded. "You see? You're an asshole Jet, and it's no wonder everyone hates you." Haru got up and started to leave. Jet reached out and held on to him.

"Don't be thick. I'm just new to this is all."

"Oh yeah?" Jet nodded. "Then tell Katara." There was a weighted pause, Jet stared at Haru while his mind whirred and drew up a picture for him. Katara. What would she say? Would she be upset because it was Haru? Would she be jealous that they both seemed to have left her behind? Or, would she find it funny? Say they deserved each other; just find the whole thing one huge joke..? He couldn't take it if that was how things were going to happen.

"No… not yet. I can't!"

"Exactly," Haru whispered, and marched off into another compartment. Jet sighed, but let him go, lying back in his seat. Fully aware that this was just another messed up relationship for his record. Meanwhile, the rest of the group were busy talking about it.

"How long do you think it's been going on?" Sokka asked excitedly. Katara shrugged uneasily.

"I don't know if anything _is_ going on, Sokka. Maybe Haru just wanted to sit with him." Sokka scoffed.

"Yeah right! And even if Jet doesn't know it, Haru must fancy him like mad!"

"Shut up Sokka, I don't see any reason why you would even think that," Toph said irritably.

"Well of course you don't," he answered without thinking. She growled. He glanced at Zuko. "What do you think?" Surprised to have even been asked, Zuko grunted and didn't offer any real contribution. Sokka was not dissuaded. "Come on, you must have noticed something, Jet sticks to you like glue."

"I don't know, maybe." An idea ran through his head. "Although I guess they did have a chance."

"What?" Katara asked, suddenly interested. Zuko shrugged, a little nervous about being the centre of attention.

"It's probably nothing; it's just that they kicked me out of the tent last night." Sokka nodded slowly. "If they were… together, then that would have been when they had a chance to get… together."

"Exactly!" Sokka declared happily. "And there's your proof Katara, Jet and Haru are obviously going out."

Haru had found a place to sit alone. He stared miserably out of the window at the trees whizzing by. Only in front of him for a second; then they were gone, never to be seen again. He groaned, digging further into his chair and screwing his eyes tight shut. It didn't work, as instead of fickle trees darting before his eyes the brown eyed boy in the other carriage came and smirked at him, chewing slowly on a grass stalk. He opened his eyes again and stared up at the roof; even if it made him feel motion sick, it was nothing to the feeling building up inside of him.


	33. Chapter 32

**Thirty Two**

"Has anyone seen Haru?"

"Nope, not since we got off the train."

Katara sighed and bit her lip. They had been waiting at the station for him to reappear for a good half an hour and none of them seemed to have laid eyes on him, not even Jet, since the start of the journey. She was worried, and hoped he hadn't got lost in the crowd somehow. Sokka gave her an awkward pat on the shoulder.

"He knows where to find us, he'll show up. Let's just go already."

Before she could protest too much, Katara was led away by the rest of the group, with just a quick glance over her shoulder as she went. The journey had been pleasanter than the last one; there had been no further arguments or trouble. If Haru hadn't disappeared, it might have been close to perfect.

Jet had been moping on and off all the way back to the university. When they had eventually returned, he'd excused himself to go and see if there was any mail for him. A full hour later, he was still less than ten feet from the mail room, clutching what they'd given him tightly. He'd read it at least fifty times. It still seemed to be wrong. Again, he pictured the girl sitting there and writing it, and hoped for the umpteenth time that she'd made a mistake. He read it through to check for any possible slip-up, holding it close to his face so he would not be able to miss anything.

_Jet; why won't you tell us anything? We've checked, and there's an opening in my schedule coming up. I'm going to come down there and see what's going on for myself. I'm looking forward to seeing you though, honest. -Bee'_

Four sentences scribbled in biro on a postcard, and it was driving him insane. Why now? But as he thought about it, he heard footsteps approaching and jammed the card into his pocket. Two girls rounded the corner, one of them shooting a scowl at him as she passed. He smiled weakly back, but breathed a sigh of relief when they'd disappeared. At least it hadn't been anyone he knew too well. He turned in the direction of his room and shuffled off, hoping to clear his head in private. He was in no such luck. Sokka and Zuko had taken the spare bed hostage and were arguing over where Haru and run off to.

"I say he got locked in the train bathroom. Those things are tricky," Sokka declared with pride.

"No. He ran away screaming at his first opportunity because he realised if he didn't we were going to adopt him. Or rather, you were."

They stopped, seeing Jet standing blankly in the doorway. Sokka frowned.

"You 'rite?" he asked, not used to Jet being so quiet.

"Yeah," Jet managed to snap out of his daydreams. "Tired…" He went and flopped onto his bed, trying to zone out the reawakened debate across the room.

"I bet you've never even been in a train bathroom!"

"Of course I have! He ran away!"

Jet sighed to himself. If she did show up, this was the last thing he wanted her to see when she arrived. He knew what reaction he'd get. And all over some stupid promises and half-remembered games from years ago that grew into something ridiculous. He should have stopped it. He shouldn't have agreed. He should have told them it was over. But he hadn't, and now it was time for his check up.

Katara was glad to get back to her own room and a real bed. Toph was just happy to get back to usual. Neither had done anything of substance since returning home, and Toph was currently lying on her bed with her arms behind her head. Katara gazed at her from her seat at the desk. Carefully, she spoke.

"Toph, how are you feeling?"

"Fine."

"I mean… about the Sokka thing."

"Fine." Katara narrowed her eyes, hoping for a bit more than one word.

"Anything else..?" Toph sighed, turning to face her.

"Look, I'm fine, OK? Really. I don't care about him; you were right, he's a moron." She turned sharply away again to face the wall. Katara bit her lip, not enjoying making her friend feel uncomfortable, but seeing it necessary.

"Well… try and find someone else. You're lovely, and you deserve it."

Toph snorted. "I'm NOT lovely." Katara half smiled.

"You are. He couldn't see it, so find someone who can."

"Someone who can, ey..?" she muttered sarcastically, raising an eyebrow. "That'll be easy."

Sokka and Zuko had fallen asleep hours ago, but Jet was still stuck wide awake. He needed to know for sure. With a quick glance to his roommates to make sure they were dead to the world, he grabbed his phone and crept out into the corridor. He shut the door soundlessly behind him, leant against the wall, and dialled. It rung three times on the other end before picking up. When it did, the voice was heavy with sleep.

"Whoithis..?"

"It's Jet."

He could almost hear her eyes widen on the other end of the line. He had not heard her voice for a year. It sounded different, and it wasn't just because she had been sleeping. It had matured; this was not the voice of the optimistic sixteen year old he had waved goodbye to what seemed like forever ago. So, he thought, you've grown up as well.

"Jet… it's late."

"I know. I just need to ask, are you really..?"

"Yeah. I really am."

"Alright."

He hung up the phone. So it was going to happen after all. He would have to start the preparations.


	34. Chapter 33

**Thirty Three**

It had been nearly a week since they'd returned, and no-one could help but notice something was a bit off with Jet. He hadn't harassed Zuko the whole time. He hadn't attempted to flirt with Katara. And strangest of all, he hadn't missed a single lecture. When Zuko caught him making notes from a textbook, he decided to confront him. Sokka was at work. It was just the two of them. Zuko covered the page with his palm, and Jet slowly turned his eyes on him, questioningly.

"Would you mind moving that?" Zuko was a little taken aback by Jet's response. He wondered if he'd been expecting some sort of confession.

"N… No. Not until you tell me why you're acting funny."

"I don't know what you mean."

Zuko stared at Jet long and hard. His hair was messier than usual, indicating he'd probably been running his hands through it, but he was otherwise tidier than usual. His clothes were unnervingly neat. He smiled back at the uneasy Zuko with seeming innocence, his eyes wide and glazed.

"That's it!" Zuko pushed the book onto the floor. Jet jumped at the sudden shout. "Tell me what the hell's wrong with you!" He grabbed Jet's shirt and snarled, unsure where this sudden role reversal came from. For the first time in days, Jet seemed to actually pay attention to him.

"Get your hands off me!" He tore Zuko away from him and shoved the boy across the room. Zuko steadied himself, his breathing quickening. Jet was standing now, fists clenched and body tensed. Glaring.

"Who the hell said you could touch me?" He yelled. Zuko was shocked again by the switch.

"Wha-"

"Don't you ever try and touch me again!" Jet screamed, his face twitching with anger. Zuko stared. After a few seconds, Jet took a breath and untensed himself. "Sorry," he muttered. "I'm stressed at the moment."

"But why?" Zuko asked. Jet shot him a warning glance as he returned to his seat and pulled the book off the floor. He flicked irritably through it, not taking anything in. It was a moment before Zuko dared approach him, but when he did, he rested a hand gingerly on Jet's shoulder.

"Can I help..?"

"No." Jet shook the hand away. Zuko let it fall to his side, defeated. He sighed, and went to go and sit on the bed.

Katara and Toph had decided to get some air, and had subsequently gone for a walk. It was a pleasant, quiet time; relatively lazy. They were only strolling, which gave their minds a chance to wander. Toph's seemed to have been wandering most, as she eventually spoke.

"Katara?" The other girl made a small note of response. "Do you ever wonder what will happen to us in the end?" Katara's stroll slowed a little.

"What do you mean 'in the end'? After university..?"

"Yeah, I guess. I mean, do you want to get married and stuff?" Katara smiled absentmindedly, returning to her former pace.

"Yeah, I do. Don't you?"

"Maybe. I usually don't think that far ahead." Katara sensed Toph was holding back a little, and decided to find out what was bugging her.

"Why the sudden interest?" Toph shrugged, obviously uncomfortable being put on the spot, whether she had brought it up or not.

"Just thinking, that's all."

"Uh-huh. What brought it up..?" They'd both slowed to nothing now and were standing side by side, Katara facing Toph, against a semi-green backdrop. Toph sighed, blowing air heavily through her fringe.

"I was just… what if you…" She paused. Katara did not fill in her gap for her. "What if you get married and I end up all alone with nothing and nobody? I don't have many… any other friends, really."

Katara smiled. "That won't happen." Toph frowned, confused.

"You just said…"

"Well, yes, but that doesn't mean I'd just abandon you. You're my best friend, even if we argue or if we go in different directions in life, nothing's going to change that."

Toph grinned. "Really? Because that's awesome!"

"Of course. You come first, Toph. Don't forget it."

"I won't," she said proudly, and they started walking once again.

Jet had tried to refresh his interest in note taking but it had been well and truly soured. Zuko had spent the last twenty minutes watching the hunched shape at the desk flick pages and mutter curses without a word. But an idea had come to him, and he couldn't hold it in anymore.

"It's Haru, isn't it?"

"What?" Jet didn't look around or move. There was a second of silence before Zuko dared continue.

"The fact that he ran off..? That's what's upset you, right?"

The slam of the book closing could probably be heard across the entire campus. Jet dug his fingernails into the desk and pushed himself up, slowly twisting his head around to face Zuko with a frozen look of rage. Zuko instantly regretted bringing it up, but was pleased to know he'd been right. Jet stalked over to him and leaned across until Zuko was backed against the wall. Then he spoke, frighteningly calmly.

"Oh, you mean the effeminate little wanker, the one who showed up here drunk, moved in on Katara and then propositioned me in a tent..? The one who acted all stung because of his own mixed messages? The one who tried to make me chose between my life the way I like it, or some screwed up version HE thought would be all rainbows and gumdrops..? Him, right?" Zuko squeaked. Jet smiled, wide and threatening. The next time he spoke, it was a whisper. "I thought so. I just had to check because there is _no way_ in HELL I would be hung up over him. Ever. I'm glad he buggered off, wherever he went. I never want to see him again. I'm actually a little wound up right now over something far more important, something I actually_ care_ about, alright? Not him. Not now, not ever." Zuko took a moment to speak, a moment that did not see any sign of movement from Jet.

"But… you two…"

"It doesn't mean anything, Zuko. Not that you'll ever know. Did you ever call Jin..? At least Sokka makes an effort with Suki, even if she hates him now. You don't try. So don't try and probe my love life. Sorry, my sex life. Is that understood?"

"You… you two actually..?"

"Yeah, we 'actually'. I actually 'actually' a lot. That's one of the reasons why it doesn't mean shit to me, got it? And he especially didn't." Zuko took a breath, attempting to take back some ground.

"So you're over him? Already..? Completely..?" Jet clenched his fists.

"What do I have to do to prove it to you, ey?"

"You don't have to-"

Zuko was cut short by a violent lunge forward from Jet, who grabbed his face and kissed him hard. Zuko gave him a shove, but he persisted, and only broke away after about ten seconds when Zuko pushed him off with more force. Jet scowled as Zuko wiped his mouth, angry.

"What was that?" he spat. Jet glared at him.

"Oh come on, do tell me how far I have to go before you actually GET IT! I didn't care about Haru! I don't care about anyone! The only person I give even the slightest damn about-"

"Is who? Yourself?" Zuko yelled, taking over the situation. He would have shoved Jet again, but he didn't need to. He'd caught a nerve. Jet was silent for a while. When he did speak, his eyes were on the floor.

"No. It's Katara. But seeing as she doesn't care-"

"Wait," Zuko stood up so that they could be at eye level. "You really care about her?"

"Yes, actually, I do." Another pause.

"Do you… think she sees it?"

"No. She thinks I just bother her because… well, I can, I suppose. But the truth is, she's the closest I ever came to…"

"Love..?" Zuko cocked his head to one side. The silence was longest and strongest now. Suddenly, Jet's expression changed to one of cocky indifference as usual.

"Pfft, no. I've never been in love. That is not what I was going to say."

"Oh. Then what were you going to say?" Jet shrugged, refusing eye contact.

"I don't know; strangling someone..?" He laughed, but he wasn't fooling either of them. Zuko shrugged, and left the room, glancing at Jet as he did so. The smile stayed on his face for a few moments after the door shut, then it fell, and left Jet wondering what he was doing it for.


	35. Chapter 34

**Thirty Four**

"So what did you want to talk about?"

Toph shrugged. She and Zuko were currently in a milkshake shop, seeing as she didn't want to run the risk of running into anyone she knew. Zuko was quite happy with the arrangement as it gave him a chance to get away from his dorm room, and also for some pleasant conversation that wouldn't be interrupted half way through by one of Jet's petulant fits. He was only curious about why Toph had suddenly insisted they meet up. She was in no rush to surrender the information. Instead, she sipped her milkshake until he eventually poked her arm to remind her he wanted an answer.

"Oh right… just stuff really."

"Alright. What stuff - Work stuff? Friend stuff..?" She shrugged again, turning in on herself. He gave her a moment before trying the issue again. "Is it about me?"

"No." She turned away to gaze blankly out of the window.

"Is it about… Katara?"

"No."

"Her brother..?"

"NO," She turned back to him, slightly annoyed. "Look, I just have some things to think about, OK? I thought maybe you could help, maybe I was WRONG." She paused. "Do you have any problems at the moment?"

"I have endless problems…" He thought about Jet again. He had been trying not to think about him, and about how they hadn't spoken since what had happened yesterday. He wondered yet again if he should have said anything else, but Jet was stubborn and he probably wouldn't have wanted him to. And then there would have been a fight. Zuko sighed to himself and laid his head in one hand. Life was one big problem.

"Well yeah, but anything specific. With your friends or anything." She seemed suddenly persistent and it bothered him that just a moment ago she had been the one trying to hide her problems.

"Yes… Jet's been acting funny lately." She waited for him to continue and he did, unwillingly. "Something's bugging him and he won't tell me what." Toph giggled.

"I don't get you and Jet sometimes." She smiled and shook her head.

"What do you mean?" Zuko was bothered by that; it seemed to imply something he wasn't sure he was picking up on correctly.

"Well, you act like you can't stand one another one minute, but the next you're all concerned that the other has a problem and moody they won't share it with you. Anyone would think you were married." Subconsciously, the time Jet had kissed him in front of his father sprang to mind. Zuko shook it away irritably.

"Don't be stupid. We're friends, sort of, so I'm entitled to be worried. Interested. I'm just annoyed he's keeping secrets."

"Right. Well you have my blessing if you two ever want to admit your feelings for one another."

"We don't-"

"It was a joke." Toph sighed, cocking her head to one side in thought. "I kind of wish I had what you have."

"What do you mean?" he asked, confused. Surely she couldn't mean she actually wanted the kind of relationship he had with Jet. It was far too stressful; even he didn't want it.

"It's just… whatever you say about one another, anyone can see you care. Both of you. I wish I had that, it seems… fun." Zuko scoffed.

"It isn't. Don't wish for something like that."

There was a silence where they both thought hard. Zuko wondered if she meant it or if she was teasing him. Admittedly, there were times he liked having Jet around, but there were also times when he wanted to strangle him with his own intestines and bury his body by the side of the train tracks. Then again, she had said 'fun'. He and Toph were different; maybe she really did want that sort of thing. It would certainly explain her affection for Sokka, anyway. After a minute or two, Toph broke the hush.

"I just want someone to care about me the way he cares about you," she said quietly, barely above a whisper.

"Well, Katara does, doesn't she?" Zuko replied, after a pause. Toph frowned.

"Well… yeah, but she's my friend."

"Jet's just my friend, I thought I explained that." Toph's frown deepened.

"But… he cares about you more than that." Zuko sighed.

"Nope. Jet cares about me exactly the same amount as Katara cares about you. He just expresses his in a slightly different way… he's a bit more… sadistic."

"Oh…" Toph considered this for a moment. "Thanks for talking to me; I guess I'd better get back now though." Before he could protest, she had got out of her seat and was halfway to the door. He sighed, not willing to make a fight of it, and turned back to his drink.

Sokka nervously reached for the phone but drew his hand away again for the fifth time. He cursed himself; he had to be quick, Zuko would be back soon. Then he'd have to wait until he fell asleep. Seizing his courage, he grabbed the phone and scrolled through the address book as quickly as he could. Finding the number he needed, he hastily copied it across to his own phone then returned Zuko's to its original position on the table. If all went to plan, he could finally move on with his life by the end of the week.

Katara opened her door, expecting Toph, and was thoroughly annoyed when her effort was rewarded by Jet instead. She sighed, but let him in, slamming the door behind him. She had barely spoken to him since they had returned from the trip, and was still curious about what he had done to Haru to get him to leave so suddenly. And as was customary, she handled her curiosity in the form of anger.

"What do you want Jet?" She folded her arms to show he had better be quick about it. He seemed oblivious to her temperament, and carefully took a seat, holding his forehead with his right hand as he did so. She seemed to pick up on the strange attitude. "Are you alright..? You're not going to throw up, are you?" He shook his head slowly. After a few seconds, he looked up at her, as if he had only just realised she was in the room.

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing is wrong."

"That's good then, you can go."

"No, wait!" He held out a hand, as if to stop her from even thinking about reaching for the door. She froze.

"I… we need to talk about something."

"What..?" She was worried now, he never acted like this. He bit his lip, nodding, then looked into her eyes again.

"I want to talk… about us." She scoffed at him, folding her arms again. She refused to meet his eyes.

"Right. Well that'll be a first. What specifically?"

"Don't trivialise this." He got up from the chair all too quickly, and took half a step closer to her. She automatically backed away, but stopped herself when she realised she was doing so. "I mean, about when we broke up."

"Right." Her expression had turned sour. "You mean when I dumped you." He nodded slowly, a stricken expression on his face.

"Why did you do?" he asked, quietly. She laughed once, sharply.

"Why did I… _you cheated on me_!" He grimaced at the word. "How come you don't_ get_ that?"

"But… you loved me, didn't you..?" He whispered the question, although it was really more of a plea. The corner of her mouth twitched with anger.

"You…" Her voice was a whisper too, but not the begging whisper of his. It was vicious and furious and had been waiting inside her for a long, long time. "Maybe I did… _love you_…" She stalked closer to him, and he backed away. "But you ruined that… just like you ruin everything!" She continued to move in on him, and he continued to move away, desperately. "Well, I was young then, young and naïve, and no, you weren't…" He was running out of room to move backwards into. "You planned it, didn't you? Planned to ruin everything, to hurt me. Just like everyone you ever _meet_! Why do you like hurting people, Jet; TELL ME WHY!"

By now, she had backed him so far across the room that he had been forced onto the bed and was pressed against the wall, with her leering over him, the tips of her toes still pressed onto the floor. She was panting after screaming at him. He gulped, waiting for the next peal of yells to come his way. Before they could, she realised what she was doing. She pulled back sharply and walked across the room, keeping her back to him. She stood silently, waiting for him to leave.

"Maybe… I did plan it." She tensed up at the confession. Jet closed his eyes, then continued. "Maybe I knew you could actually make me happy, and so I ruined it on purpose. That seems to be something I do a lot. You see… I was scared. I was scared that maybe if I invested myself in you, and then you changed your mind, it would be too much. So I wrecked it first. And I made sure you'd be angry with me, that way you couldn't blame yourself. But…" He swallowed the lump in his throat. "But I won't make that mistake again. I don't know if I love you, Katara, but I could. I know that I could. The only question is…"

"I could never love you again, Jet." She did not turn around to say it. He nodded, biting his lip tightly.

"Alright." He stood up and headed for the doorway. As he opened it, he gave her one last glance. She still had her back to him. His mouth twitched, but he left. As soon as he was gone, she fell to the floor. She didn't cry, but her face was frozen in a look of misery and disbelief.


	36. Chapter 35

**Thirty Five**

It was dark outside, but it was the only place he could make the call without risking being overheard. He savoured the moment before he pushed the buttons, to remember the moment he told himself, but really it was because it could go wrong. He sighed and dialled. It was a moment before someone on the other end answered, and when they did they were not particularly happy.

"Whoth'hell..? It's late, why are you phoning me? Who are you?"

"It's Zuko's friend, Sokka." The voice on the other end growled at him; annoyed and sleepy.

"I hate you then, go away," they moaned.

"Wait! I'm also Jet's friend… I'll be quick, I promise."

"You'ave thirty seconds…"

"I need to get a phone number from you."

The next morning, Zuko found he was the first one to wake up out of the three of them. He sat up, nudging Sokka a further few inches away from him, and looked over to Jet, who lay sleeping across the room. He sighed, thinking he finally understood what Toph had meant. He climbed carefully out of bed and padded over to him, standing over him for a moment before dropping down to a kneel. Jet was lying slightly on his side; his face turned just the tiniest bit away from Zuko's. Zuko thought about smiling. He didn't, but the fact that he wanted to bothered him a little. Just a little. His eyes moved from Jet's face and he noticed that the boy had the blanket wrapped tightly around one hand, sort of protectively. He felt a strange urge to unravel it. Instead, he put his hand on Jet's and gently loosened the fingers so that he wasn't clutching it so hard. He smiled a little then. Jet grunted lightly in his sleep and Zuko jerked away, dreading to think what would happen if he woke up. But then he found himself moving back again. More daring this time, he titled Jet's face onto the other side, so that his closed eyes were facing him. Zuko nodded indistinguishably to himself. He almost wished Jet would wake up so that he could talk to him about this. He felt weird, but he knew what Toph had meant. It was nice to have someone who cared about you. Even if that person was a frighteningly vulgar sadomasochist who caused him more trouble than anyone else he'd ever met. He wondered if she had been right about anything else, as well. He couldn't decide if he wanted her to have been or not. And thinking of Toph, brought up the subject of Katara. He wondered if Jet really had loved her, or if he still did. He didn't act like he did. But then again… it had certainly seemed that that was what he was going to say. And if he did lover her still, what did that mean? Well, for one, it meant Toph had been wrong, and that he only cared about him as a friend. But instead of relief at the thought as he'd been expecting, Zuko felt an odd twinge of envy. Naturally, if he loved Katara, he didn't care as much about him. Which would make him second best. And that was one thing he hated being. But maybe that wasn't all there was to it… He couldn't decide what he was annoyed about; loosing some small piece of affection he'd barely paid attention to until yesterday, playing second fiddle to Katara, or just the fact that he was being forced to think about these things. Jet moaned again in his sleep, but it didn't manage to pull Zuko back to reality. Instead he closed his eyes and took a deep breath, not wanting to look at Jet for a moment. He had to know. He half opened his eyes. Jet was still asleep in front of him, face titled in his direction. Zuko almost smiled. Painfully slowly, he leaned in and brushed his lips against Jet's. When he drew back, he wasn't sure what he had felt. He just felt slightly fuzzy, and he didn't want to risk trying again. He was confused enough already.

By lunch time, Zuko had managed to push things to the back of his mind. It was made easier by the fact that Sokka was acting shifty and Jet was pressing him for whatever secret he was hiding. Zuko had faded them out by now and was trying to eat peacefully. He had become so separated from the conversation, that he didn't even notice the topic change at first.

"I had the weirdest dream last night." Zuko froze. He glanced up at Jet, who seemed oblivious to the fact that he had tuned out and was mostly talking to Sokka anyway.

"Oh yeah..?"

"Yeah! I was carrying this sack of turnips, then this girl comes up behind me and prises them out of my hands! I was about to tell her to give them back, but then I realise she doesn't want to steal my turnips at all, she wants something completely different…"

"Oh, I get it." Sokka and Jet exchanged a grin whilst Zuko disappeared into his food.

"Well, the weird thing is, she kisses me, but then she pulls away and it wasn't this random girl anymore… guess who it was?"

"I dunno; was it like, a giant turnip or something?" Jet shook his head.

"No. It was," He gestured with his head to the inexplicably weakened figure who had dropped their head onto their food tray. Sokka's mouth fell open.

"No way." Jet nodded. "That's weird. You should probably ask someone about that, see if you can prevent it from happening again." He glanced at his watch. "I should probably go, see you later." Sokka got up and left, leaving Jet and Zuko sitting opposite one another at the table.

"Zuko..?" Zuko snapped his head up from the table with a start.

"What?" he asked guiltily. Jet paused.

"You have some mashed potato in your hair." Zuko put his hand where Jet pointed and tried to work the goo out of his fringe. Jet watched him with mild amusement.

"I guess you didn't get enough sleep." Zuko laughed hollowly.

"Yeah. You don't know the half of it…"

Katara sat at her desk, staring at a book, apparently deep in thought. Anyone who didn't know her would probably believe she was studying hard, but she hadn't turned the page for a good twenty minutes. Toph lay on her bed, playing with a yoyo. After a while, she sighed.

"Katara, what's wrong?"

"Nothing." Her reply was delayed and distant. Toph sighed again, sitting up.

"Yeah there is, tell me." There was a brief pause before Katara turned to face Toph.

"Honestly? I've just realised some things I hadn't before. It's kind of shaken up the way I feel about certain things…" Toph waited for her to go on. "Just Jet… nothing Earth shattering." Toph nodded knowingly.

"Of course. Has he been an asshole again..?"

"No, he actually hasn't. The opposite, in fact. It just made me think…"

"So… do you not hate him anymore?" Katara half smiled.

"I guess not. But to be honest, I haven't properly hated him for ages. More a sort of loathing."

"Uh-huh." Toph got off the bed and walked over to Katara, pulling herself up onto the desk. "Gonna give him a second chance?"

"No. But I'm not really sure he wants me to… I don't know if he's changed or if I'm finally seeing the real him, but I genuinely think he's just clutching at me because he doesn't want to go on with the future."

"Oh. Uh, alright…" Toph didn't really understand, but felt it best to agree anyway. She started to swing her legs back and forth. "This is weird. It's like everything is suddenly changing."

"For the better, I hope," Katara sighed, smiling a little. Toph nodded, also smiling. There was a moment of quiet, then they both started to speak at once. "You go first…" Katara insisted. Toph shrugged.

"I was just going to say 'I wonder what happens now'. It's weird to imagine a time without Jet bugging you."

"Or you freaking out whenever Sokka's around." They both giggled, oddly enough, as Toph would not have thought that sort of statement funny a week or two ago. Another brief pause.

"It makes you wonder though…" Katara mused. "Who there is in the future…" Toph shrugged.

"Eh, we'll find out in the end." Katara nodded.

"Yeah. And in the meantime, we've got each other, so who cares about men?"

"I suppose," Toph muttered. She found herself blushing and rubbed her cheek with her knuckles to try to control it. Katara smiled absently. She thought happily about the future, hoping that it really would be wonderful.


	37. Chapter 36

**Thirty Six**

A string of irritating beeping noises went off, drawing moans from two of the three boys.

"Sokka, turn that thing off," whined Zuko, rolling over. "It's late."

"Sorry, I'll take it outside." Sokka arose and hurried out into the hallway with his phone. He saw the name flash on the screen, then answered it. The voice on the other end was hesitant and soft, but more than welcome. He smiled as he said hello.

"Hello Sokka… it was Sokka, right..?" The girl seemed nervous, as if she shouldn't be talking to him.

"Yeah, it's Sokka… it's good to hear you again, Yue."

Katara awoke peacefully and sat up in her bed. She slowly adjusted to the room again, when she noticed that Toph was perched on the edge of the desk chair in an odd fashion, staring blankly at the floor. Rubbing her eyes, she got up and wandered over to her.

"What's wrong, Toph?" There was a moment before she answered.

"Uh..? Nothing."

"There must be something," Katara probed gently. She stood beside Toph, leaning down so she could see her face. Toph seemed distant but remained relatively expressionless, as if she was thinking of something outside of the room that she did not want her friend to know about. Katara would not be swayed. She tilted Toph's head, forcing her to look at her. Toph felt Katara's breath on her face and decided to talk.

"You…"

"Yes..?" Toph gulped, preparing herself. Katara waited.

"You care about me a lot, don't you..?"

"Yes, of course," Katara confirmed, a little taken aback.

"And you said I was lovely."

"…You are."

"I am…" Toph muttered to herself. She turned her attention back to Katara. "You said… You told me to find someone who thought that about me, and who cared."

"Oh!" Katara suddenly realised where this was going. If she had thought about it, she could have probably seen this coming from around the time she had comforted Toph on the rock after Sokka had insulted her. Either she had chosen to ignore it, or she had been brainless. It didn't matter; whichever way, this was exceedingly awkward. She liked Toph, she loved Toph, but she did not see her that way. And, with the awful realisation that she had probably led her on, she wondered how in the world she was going to let her down lightly.

"Is 'oh' it..?" Toph was speaking matter-of-factly, as if she didn't care if that was all. Katara was surprised. Logically, Toph should care a lot; the last time she had mentioned feelings for someone she had been brutally shot down, the last thing she would want was for it to happen again. The flat tone was as unexpected as the original remark.

"No! Um, no, I just… I don't…" Toph smiled at the bumbled sentences Katara was attempting to string together. Again, Katara was caught off guard.

"Katara." Toph took a moment to make sure her following sentence was anticipated appropriately. "To be honest, I suspected you'd react like that. But it's not what you think."

"… What..?" Katara had not felt this confused in forever. She couldn't help but feel her friend was enjoying it.

"Katara, you told me to find someone who cares about me and who thinks I'm lovely. And I have. And it's you. BUT," She refused to let her interrupt. "You're my best friend. That's enough." Toph smiled gladly, a smile Katara had not seen since they were around thirteen. "You're not going to leave me; ever. That is enough for me." There was a little pause, in which a warm smile slowly spread across Katara's face. She understood.

"Toph…" She said happily, drawing her friend into a large hug. Katara pecked her cheek affectionately, and Toph blushed, then, whilst grinning, ruffled her best friend's hair with equal affection.

Sokka rapped his fingernails irritably against the side of his bed, awaiting another phone call. Zuko sat on the floor, pressed against the wall, staring into space, his mind on the incident with Jet. Jet lay on his bed, absentmindedly thinking about the postcards and the fast approaching visit. Not one of them seemed to notice that the others were all distracted. None of them moved from their positions, and the only sound was the repetitive clattering of Sokka's fingers, drumming away. They could probably have stayed like that all day, if a loud knock at the door hadn't jerked them all guiltily from their thoughts. Exchanging glances, each one stood up and moved towards the door. After a few seconds, Sokka was the one who actually opened it. The three boys were greeted by Katara and Toph, both of whom seemed happy. A happiness that contrasted sharply with the edgy, distracted nature of the room's inhabitants. Luckily, they did not notice.

"Hey, we're going to go and get some pizza, do any of you want in..?" Toph asked impatiently, although grinning. None of them answered for a moment.

"It's a bit early for lunch, isn't it..?" Zuko eventually asked, hesitantly.

"Nonsense! We could all use a treat." Katara interjected, clearly not going to take no for an answer. Sokka and Jet exchanged a look, ignoring the ashen faced Zuko stood in between them.

"Sure, I guess…" Jet agreed, regretfully. Katara beamed.

"Good! Let's go." She grabbed Jet's arm and yanked him out of the doorway, Toph alongside and Sokka following behind. After a second, Zuko realised they were leaving and hurried to catch up.

Naturally there was a squabble over who got to sit where and next to whom. Zuko refused to sit next to Jet. Jet refused to sit next to Katara, something which shocked Sokka, who wanted to sit opposite Toph. Toph and Katara wanted to sit next to each other. Only Zuko did not get his wish, and was forced into the corner of the booth with Jet at his side. Sokka crammed on the end, and the two girls sat comfortably opposite them. Then there was another fight over pizza toppings which, through a clever combination of insistence and temper tantrums, Jet and Toph won. No-one else was particularly enthused by pineapple and bacon. After a while, conversation restarted.

"So why are we all here..?" Sokka questioned, looking over to his sister. Katara paused in reaching for a slice and clasped her hands together instead. She smiled lightly.

"We're celebrating a new part of our lives," she said cheerfully. "With a lot less conflict."

"Here's to that," Jet agreed, waving a piece of bacon around. Zuko stared at him in bemusement.

"Yeah, you're right," Sokka added. "Hopefully we can finally all get on."

There were murmurs of agreement all around and everyone returned to their lunch a little more chipper. Perhaps things really would change for the better.


	38. Chapter 37

**Thirty Seven**

Things had been going smoothly for the past few days. No arguments had broken out. No-one had caused havoc or fallen out with anyone else. So, it made sense when a phone call ruptured the easy-going peace. The call was answered by Sokka just before breakfast. Jet had already left, so only Zuko was around to overhear the girlish shriek he let out when he heard the voice on the other end of the line. Naturally, after that, he stuck around to eavesdrop some more. Sokka was only on the other side of the room, so it was not a difficult task.

"I can't believe it, really..?" Sokka's face had lit up. "Honestly?" Zuko grew ever more curious. "Really..? That's so great!" And more curious still. "I'm so glad! I promise, I… yeah. Yeah, OK. No, that's fine." Curiouser, curiouser… "Of course, I wouldn't expect anything else. I'm still so happy, though!! Next week..? Yeah. OK, great, see you then!" He hung up, beaming like a moron. After a couple of seconds, he realised Zuko was staring at him.

"What..?" he asked; obviously unaware of the tantalizing nature of the conversation he had just held. Zuko shrugged, but was unable to let his curiosity go unsatiated.

"Who were you just talking to?" He tried to be as matter-of-fact as possible. There was a pause where Sokka seemed to drift off, but when he snapped back it did not occur to him to tell Zuko not to be so nosy. In fact, he seemed delighted to be able to tell someone.

"Suki!" A lack of comprehension was evident in Zuko's face. "Suki, my ex-girlfriend! She's coming down next week and we're going to try and work things out. Isn't that great?" The look on Sokka's face was the exact same as that of a small child who had just been given a puppy. Zuko did not quite share the joy.

"How did you persuade her? Last time you spoke, didn't she hate you..?" Sokka pushed the very idea aside.

"She doesn't hate me! Yeah, she was _mad_ at me, but it's OK now. Well, it will be when we have a chance to talk face to face. Then, I can move back home with the knowledge that I am not a screw up, and with Suki back by my side! It'll be wonderful, you'll see." Zuko still seemed to have doubts.

"That's great, but how did you change her mind..?" Sokka grinned; glad he had a chance to explain the cunning plans he had set into motion.

"First; I phoned your sister. Don't look at me like that! I assumed she would have Yue's, that's the girl from the party, number, SO I asked her, and she did. Well, then I called Yue. I asked her if she could tell Suki that what happened was a mistake, no offence to her, and that it hadn't and wouldn't happen again. She must have done a really great job, because when Suki just called me, she actually seemed like she wanted to forgive me! I tell you Zuko, things are looking up."

"You know," Zuko said, smiling slightly. "You're probably right. I'm happy for you." Sokka smiled thankfully to him, and walked over.

"Thanks." He patted him on the back. "Now all we need is to find you a girlfriend, ey?" Zuko laughed, but it was pretty hollow.

Breakfast was oddly pleasant. All five of them sat at the same table for once; Toph, Zuko and Jet on one side; Katara and Sokka on the other. They made small talk about classes and essays in between mouthfuls for a while, until Sokka cleared his throat to make an announcement. He lent his elbows on the table and linked his fingers, resting his head on top. Everyone looked at him.

"I just want to let you all know, that someone very important will be coming to visit next week." He paused for dramatic effect.

"Is it the Queen..?" Jet asked, grinning.

"No, it's-"

"Oh, is it the guy from that band?" Toph asked, semi-seriously.

"No! It's Suki! She's coming down so that we can sort things out."

"Really?" Katara asked, somewhat elated. "So she's forgiven you? That's so great, Sokka!"

"I know! It's going to be perfect, and I can move back home and I won't have to live at this university anymore. It's getting stupid." As Sokka babbled, a thought hit Jet and his smile fell.

"Wait, did you say next week?" Sokka nodded, bemused by the change in attitude. "What day..?"

"I dunno, I think she said… Tuesday." Jet gulped, nudging his food aside. All eyes went to him, with the exception of Toph's, and he was uncomfortably aware that he was now the centre of attention.

"Why? What's wrong with Tuesday..?" Katara asked for the benefit of everyone. Jet shook his head, but then answered anyway. Slowly.

"Well… I have someone coming over on Tuesday as well. Someone… I used to know, I guess. We haven't talked much since I came here. But she's coming down. To catch up. And talk. And stuff."

Zuko felt his heart lurch a bit. He couldn't help but wonder if she was an ex-girlfriend, and then wondering why he cared. So what if she was? Jet had plenty, he was sure. Still, he wasn't exactly keen that some girl from his past was going to show up. Especially as he had very little time to prepare. However he was going to do that.

"That's so weird," Sokka sniggered. "What are the odds that we both have girls coming down on the same day..?"

"It sure is a coincidence," Toph added. There were murmurs of agreement from everyone but Zuko, who was still zoned out. Jet put an elbow in his side and he soon came back to Earth.

"What're you thinking about..? You were staring into space," Jet prodded. Zuko shook his head, mumbling some excuse or another. Jet shrugged; no-one else was interested. The rest of breakfast passed painfully slowly for Zuko, who wanted only to run away and think. It seemed to pass too quickly for Sokka, who wanted to talk about how things were going to be now that Suki was back in his life. It passed a little too loudly for Jet, who also wanted to think and was trying to blank everyone else out as he drew faces with his fork in his porridge. Katara thought it was a little too energetic, at least sitting next to Sokka, who was seriously hyperactive after the phone call. However, Toph enjoyed it all; the shouts of excitement and annoyance from Katara and Sokka, the muttering of Jet as he doodled with the fork. She didn't even mind so much when her elbow strayed into some spilt tea. After all, she was among friends. Good friends, for what seemed like the first time in years.


	39. Chapter 38

**Thirty Eight**

Monday night. It had been warm all day, as if only to make the night more comfortable. It hadn't rained for a few days either, so the air was dry and pleasant. The room was entirely silent and still, interrupted only by the occasional twitch of one of the three boys. Each of them thought the others were asleep, but really, not one of them was. They were all thinking, every one.

Sokka was lying on his side, his eyes closed, a smile spread across his face. He was thinking of Suki, naturally, and how soon he would see her again. He'd been an idiot to ever risk losing her like that. Thank goodness she was going to forgive him. She would, of course, even if he had to beg on his knees. Whatever she wanted; he'd do it. And it would be worth it. Then, finally, he'd have her back. He could forget everything that had happened, _they_ could forget it, and move on. He wondered what life would be like then. He could go back home, of course, and maybe they could get a flat somewhere. That would be nice. Life would be simple again. And, perhaps best of all, he wouldn't have to live here anymore. Now, he did quite like it sometimes; when everyone was getting along like now. However, when they weren't, it was hell. Having to share a room with your sister's pervy ex-boyfriend and his overly aggressive, snappy friend was never going to be fun. Especially when you didn't get on with them half the time but had no where else to go. Especially when the one friend you had made outside of the room decided to get better acquainted with one of your roommates on a group camping trip. ESPECIALLY when your sister had been crushing on him the whole time. Yes. Life was complicated at times. The weirdest part was, he might have really got on with Jet and Zuko if they had met under different circumstances. Jet was the sort of person he could easily be friends with, and, if he hadn't first met him when he'd shown up at their house last year on the arm of his little sister, looking overly scruffy and none too innocent, he might have liked him a lot. He might still have been able to bear him if he had not then gone on to leave Katara, in the worst possible way, making sure she was heartbroken and cried for a good month. He remembered the night quite well, when Katara had anxiously been checking the clock every few minutes, waiting for him to arrive for a date. He had reassured her that Jet would be there any minute, and sure enough, he showed up, extremely drunk, and announced he'd been cheating on her for a couple of weeks now and that it was probably over, after all, they'd missed the start of their movie anyway. Not the best way to leave a good, lasting impression. The same went for Zuko. While Katara had known him before, and he'd heard of him plenty, the first real meeting he'd had with him had been the ball. Again, not an excellent first impression. Both had stayed true to their original colours, until now it seemed, when they both seemed to be growing up. Sokka sighed in what the others assumed was sleep; it was going to be better now, starting that morning.

Zuko clutched at the blanket which was thrown over his head. His eyes were open, but he was facing the wall so no-one could see. His life was getting worse, he was sure of it. First, his mother had died. Yes, he was pretty sure that's when everything had started to go wrong. From then on, Azula had got all the attention and he had been further and further forced to accept that he was becoming the black sheep of the family. And then, the night that he had abandoned a girl in a fountain and Jet had thrown up on his shoes, he really had become an outcast. Now he was all alone in the world. He would never be able to completely reconcile things with his family, he was sure of that. And now it seemed that even Jet was going to abandon him. For this girl that he had never met, some girl he had used to know. Probably and ex-girlfriend. Zuko wondered if they had had to break up because Jet had moved to university. If that was so, then she was probably coming to forgive him and tell him she wanted him back and that she could handle a long distance relationship for now if it meant they could one day be together. Or worse, maybe he would quit university to be with her right away; move back to his home town and then Zuko would never see him again. Jet wasn't that bothered about classes and things anyway, so it would probably suit him. In fact, Zuko thought sadly, he was probably dreaming about her right now, and how great it would be when they would be together soon, and run away to elope while Zuko was left off in the distance, sad and alone. Or maybe not. Either way, he felt like he was losing Jet for good and he still wasn't sure why he cared exactly. Maybe it was just because Jet was his closest friend. Or maybe it was more than that. More and more, it seemed to be more. He thought of all the times Jet had kissed him; jokingly, playfully or even violently. Then, he thought about the sole time he had kissed Jet. Briefly, silently… Jet still didn't even know he had really done it. It was just some awkward, turnip filled dream to him. Maybe that was what love was supposed to be; a magical turnip filled dreamland. Or not. Hopefully not. He remembered his first meeting with Jet; somewhat less pleasant than their more recent encounters. It was one of the first days of university. A sunny day, full of hope and promise. He had been excited to be starting something new, which is why he still remembered the way his smile had dropped right off his face when the boy with the messiest hair and the cockiest swagger had asked him where the dorm rooms were. He had answered coldly back that he didn't know, he had a private room. Jet had laughed at him, right then and there, in front of everyone else. A lot of the other newbies and watched in awe as Jet had replied spitefully that he knew exactly who Zuko was and that he could go and stick his elitist attitude and everything else with it. Then, he had stridden off, only to show up in one of Zuko's classes later; smug and uninterested in the lectures. Things had continued like that for a while, until over time they had grown to be sort of friends, mostly Jet's doing. And now, here they were; wherever 'here' was. Zuko pulled the blanket tighter around himself, wondering where came after here.

Jet was also wide awake, hiding the fact by lying with his back to the other two, eyes very slightly open. He too was thinking, and he was thinking about tomorrow and the visit which would take place. He'd known for a while, but he was still utterly unprepared. What did you say to someone you'd known for years, but who didn't know who you were anymore..? He had certainly changed. He thought back to the aspiring seventeen year old that she had known and cared about. He could hardly even remember what it had been like to be him. All the games, the memories, the moments… they were all estranged to him now, as if he had read them in someone else's diary, but had only seen them himself from a distance. He wondered if she would be expecting that boy, a little older and maybe taller, but still the same at his core. Well, if she was, she would be disappointed. That boy was long gone, gone after he got a chance to know the boy sleeping across the room from him. He didn't know how he was going to tell her that. What if she still wanted to play the game..? She seemed to think they still were, but the oath they had sworn so long ago had withered up and died within his first few months at the university. That was one memory that wouldn't leave him. The two of them had sworn an oath one dreary autumn afternoon when he was seventeen and she was sixteen. She had used his penknife and cut their thumbs, then they had pressed them together, the joining of blood symbolising the pact. He still remembered the sharp little slice of his skin, then watching their blood oozing out and onto the other's hand. He still had the scar; just a nick really, on his left thumb. Maybe when it was gone, he could finally forget.


	40. Chapter 39

**Thirty Nine**

They were arriving on the same train. The day was clear again, unlike the station which bustled even this early. Sokka tried in vain to avoid elbows and suitcases being rammed into him from all angles, shooting various finger gestures and words out after their owners. Jet watched him idly; his hands shoved defensively into his pockets and hoped the train would be here soon. The sooner it was all over, the better. The train pulled in in what seemed like slow motion for both of them; for Sokka, as he couldn't wait for the girl to step off it, but for Jet because he really couldn't believe the day had arrived. Today, he would have to admit to her that he'd changed, given up. Whatever. In the crowd that emptied out of the carriages, the two girls they were looking for could not immediately be seen. Then, a head of short, straight brown hair bobbed out of the crowd; her eyes seeking out and finding Sokka. He didn't notice her until after she had already spotted him and was walking over, half a smile on her face. He beamed immediately, hurrying but then catching himself and waiting, a polite smile only on his face. She reached him and folded her arms brazenly, cocking both her smile and head to the side. He said hello, she said it back. It was quite obvious from the shared smile that she had already made up her mind about where she stood.

It was not until the crowd had dispersed that Jet saw her. She was still standing near to the edge, seeming somewhat lost, her eyes darting around trying to find him. She looked painfully similar to when he had last seen her; shaggy, dark brown hair, still awfully skinny and still quite short. Her eyes were still outlined in dark, and still huge and open and questioning. He couldn't make himself walk over to her, so he waited until she eventually caught sight of him and hurried over of her own accord. She smiled shyly, which seemed odd considering how well they knew one another. He found that he couldn't smile as wide as he had hoped, so it came out looking forced. She may or may not have picked up on it. As Suki and Sokka shared what could be considered a perfect reunion, considering the circumstances of parting, Jet entered into an emotionless one. Emotion could happen later. Right now, they had to get back.

"Come on Bee, let's get going."

Sokka and Suki had decided to meet up with Katara and Toph to hang out. All friends together, but it was easier for Jet who wanted to talk to Bee in private. However, when he opened the door to his room, he realised that Zuko was inside. He was sitting on his bed, apparently lost in thought. Jet coughed, and he immediately turned around. His eyes went first to Jet, but then to the girl beside him. So this was her. She didn't look all that impressive; scruffy, even. But then again, so was Jet; maybe she was actually perfect to him. Either way, Zuko didn't want to be there when they started talking. He got up to leave, and as he did so, he could almost feel the hate she was sending at him. As soon as Zuko had left, Jet shut the door and took a seat on his bed. Bee followed and sat beside him. There was a moment before either spoke, but when one did, it was her.

"Jet, why are you acting so…"

"Different?" he cut in. She nodded; her eyes wide with what might have been surprise. "Because I am, I guess. It's been a long time."

"But…" She struggled to find the right words, obviously having not expected this. "But, I thought-"

"That things were going to be the same..?" He turned to her, a mixture of annoyance and sadness on his face. "Look, I know, OK? But it's not like it was; I grew up. I changed. I'm not that Jet anymore." Another pause. When Bee spoke again, her voice was stressed.

"Don't you remember? Don't you even remember _at all_ what it was like..?!"

"Of course I do!" He couldn't look at her anymore, so he buried his face in his hands. "For goodness sake! I just… it's not as easy as I thought it would be!"

"_How can it not be_? Don't you-"

"I remember!" There was a pause, in which Jet sighed. His arms dropped down and hung in front of him, limp and useless. "Oh my god, I remember…"

Twenty minutes later, there was a knock on the door, after which Sokka stuck his head in without being invited. In his glee, he failed to notice the morose nature of the two inside.

"Come on you two, we're all going for a walk to celebrate!"

Perhaps the sunshine had turned from lucky to ironic. Although not for everyone; four of the group seemed perfectly happy. Sokka and Suki, who had taken to not quite holding hands, but linking fingers, were both practically euphoric, especially Sokka. Katara was happy her brother was happy and Toph was just glad that everything was working out so well. The three who clung to the back of the trail were not so joyful. Zuko, who hung in between the two sets, the awkward third wheel, was gloomy to the extreme. He could feel the glares coming at him from Bee, and occasionally heard them engage in hushed conversation, although he could never tell what they were saying. As such, there were a few less-than-smiley faces when Katara suggested they stop for a break and maybe some lunch.

It seemed she and Toph had brought food. Zuko couldn't help but wonder if it was to keep them there and thus extend his torment for as long as possible. As the four contented helped themselves to the crisps and drinks that had been brought along, Bee and Jet announced that they just had to talk and would be back in a sec. Sokka sniggered. Suki giggled. Zuko felt a little piece of himself dying inside. Bee and Jet found a spot behind some shrubbery where they could talk without being watched or overheard. The sound of a nearby road drowned them out anyway. Jet cleared his throat.

"I can't do this," he said, simply. Bee blinked and continued to stare at him for a few seconds before answering.

"But… we… we made a pact. You said, you said it was important-"

"That was before I… before I met him." Bee laughed, slightly manically. She shook her head, a crazed grin of disbelief on her face.

"Really? Really! So he's that great, ey? SO great that you've managed to forget about everything else..?"

"Well-"

"Well you know what, Jet? That's great! I hope your parents are happy for you." Jet gasped, his mouth hanging slightly open. He tried to speak, but the words seemed to catch in his throat. He swallowed, but when he did manage to talk, his voice cracked.

"That- That was harsh."

"It's true," Bee muttered. "They'd still be here if it weren't for him." Jet shook his head slowly, his voice still cracking.

"No… it wasn't anything to do with him. I… I thought he'd be like the rest of them, but, he- he isn't… He really isn't."

"Of course he is!" Tears started to trickle down her face, but whether they were from frustration, upset or both was impossible to tell. "They're all the same! He's just like the rest of them!"

"No!" Jet's voice was loud and high pitched now. "He's different! He is! He is! I know him!"

"_He isn't_!" She was screaming now as well. "What happened to the Jet I knew? He would never have been this blind! What happened to the Jet who sat in the room next to mine for two years and said that one day, somehow, he'd get his own back? What happened?"

"He realised how STUPID he was! _Zuko's not like the rest of them_!"

There was a cough from behind the trees. Jet turned his head wildly, an expression of shock frozen with him. Of all the people to be standing there, right at that very moment, having heard the last sentence which was said… it had to be Zuko. Jet and Zuko were both frozen, completely, to the spot. Zuko stood a few feet away, horror and surprise fighting for room on his features. Jet was crouched on the grass, entirely shocked. And then, he was furious.

"HOW DARE YOU?" Zuko took a step back as Jet got to his feet, screaming full force at him. "What gives you the RIGHT to listen to my conversation? And to think I was DEFENDING you…" Zuko stammered before finding his voice.

"B-But… the others sent me over here to get you, they want to keep going. I… I didn't hear much, I swear-"

"Yeah right! You really are the same as them! You… I thought you were _different_!" Jet had started striding towards Zuko without realising it, and Zuko backed away in turn.

"What are you talking about?" He'd never actually felt seriously threatened by Jet before. Bee jumped to her feet and followed after them, also angry.

"You see Jet? He couldn't even leave us alone for five minutes! He _is _the same as the rest of them!"

"The same as who?!" Zuko had unwittingly backed away in the opposite direction to the rest of the group, and so the odds of anyone coming to his aid were lessening by the minute.

"As your _family_!" Jet yelled. He stopped walking, as did Zuko and Bee. Zuko was caught out for a moment. His shock was obvious.

"My… family..?"

"Yeah." Although Jet's voice was calmer now, his anger had been replaced with venom and spite and he was glaring at Zuko, as one would glare at someone one had a vendetta against. "Your family. Tell me Zuko… what does your father do for a living..?"

"He…" Zuko couldn't believe what he was hearing. "He owns a few fixtures companies. Why?"

"Yeah, but how did he start out..?"

"I… his first company sold fireplaces. What does tha-?"

"Do you want to know why I first decided to come to this university? Why I first started talking to you? Do you..?"

"… Yes… but what does it have to do with-"

"It was those damn fireplaces! Back when I was just sixteen, my parents bought one of those damned fireplaces. We didn't have a lot of cash, and they were cheap. It was great; sitting around the fire and chatting in the evenings. Pretty humble. BUT, your father was so desperate to make a quick profit; he didn't bother enforcing decent safety procedures. So one day, I was walking home from school, and do you know what I saw..? I saw my house encompassed in this HUGE FREAKING FIRE! My parents were in there at the time! I… I never even got to say goodbye, all because your father was selling crappy fireplaces!"

"Bu-"

"Shut up! They didn't have any money to leave me. And we couldn't get any money from the company because your lawyers bullshited their way out of it. So I was left all on my own; no parents, no money, abso-freaking-lutely NOTHING to my name WHATSOEVER! But I did have one thing; a decent friend. Bee. And she and her family let me stay with them until I could get a job and find my own place to live. That's a real friend, Zuko." Zuko was painfully reminded of how thankless he had been when Jet had offered to let him stay in his dorm room after he had been disinherited. "And while I worked bad shifts at shitty jobs, scrapping some money together, Bee and I made a pact. We promised we'd get revenge on the person who had done this to me. And, Zuko, it was you. Your family. Your father. YOU! So we did our research, in between school and my three jobs; it's amazing what you find on the internet. Well, when I found out that the oldest son of the man who had practically murdered my parents was going to some snobby university, I decided that that would be perfect. _I_ would go to the university as well, and _I_ would make him suffer like he made me suffer. Only…" Jet took a deep breath, his face a little less hateful than before. "You weren't the boy I was expecting. And when I found out about your scar, and your sister… I realised you were just as much a victim of that family as I was. And then… I… I changed my mind. On my nineteenth birthday I swore a different oath, on my own. I swore that I would get you away from that evil family of yours and stop you from turning into one of them. But were you ever even _remotely_ thankful..? NO. Of course you weren't… In fact, you really seemed to hate ME for a while. Me! I know - rich isn't it? I was supposed to hate you, and here I was absolutely going out of my way to help you, while you were a total tosser in return. It just goes to show you Zuko, some people don't know what's good for them."

Jet took a long breath, obviously waiting for a reply. Bee's eyes darted between Jet and Zuko. She was obviously now unsure how to feel. Zuko couldn't think at first what to say; his brain still digesting all of this information. He had never, ever, known. He had never known that Jet's parents were dead. He had never known that it had been his father's fault. He had never known why Jet had shown such a twisted interest in him. And he had never even thought that perhaps Jet's cocky, easy-going attitude hid such an awful, miserable history. But it all made sense suddenly; the way he refused to talk about his life before university, the way he had left Katara just as he'd begun to care about her, in case he lost her too, and also the darkness behind his eyes whenever Zuko wound him up just the right way, and a little tiny piece of the real Jet came spilling out. It all made complete and utter sense. But still; Zuko was stuck without a thing to say, knowing that he had to speak now. Or else he may never be able to speak to Jet again. He cleared his throat, making eye contact with the boy who he suddenly felt endlessly sorry for. Jet followed suit, keeping their eyes locked, an unreadable expression on his face, waiting.

"Jet… I'm sorry, but… I don't… know what… to say." He couldn't help but feel his eyes starting to mist.

"Say what you want to," Jet whispered, his expression still impossible to interpret.

"I…" Zuko had to think for just a second. "I had no idea. I wish I hadn't done any of the things I did to you now. I shouldn't have been such an ass when we first met, and I shouldn't have yelled at you when you cocked things up at the ball, or teased you about Katara and Haru. I… I just wish I'd of known, I am so sorry. You didn't deserve it. Any of it."

"Right. OK then." There was a pause which saw Jet nod, swallow and blink once. "Would things have been different..? You know, if you'd known from the start?"

"Of course!"

"Really..? Think about it."

Zuko did think about it. Even if he had known all along that Jet's parents were dead, even if he'd known that his father was somehow to blame, would he have acted differently? Jet would still have annoyed him at first, he still would have got him exiled from his family. Could Zuko really have taken that with a smile, even knowing why he had done it..? Probably not. But now… now that he knew Jet well enough, probably better than anyone else at this moment, could things be different? And could… could he finally understand what he actually felt about Jet?

"Jet… maybe I would still have been an asshole at first. But not anymore! I'm your friend, Jet! I- I care about you. I always will."

"Now," Jet said, nodding. A smile spread and clung to his features, but it was hardly pleasant. He was disgusted. Zuko blinked, stunned. "Now, now, NOW. Now that you think I've forgiven you..? Yeah, NOW everything will be great, won't it? Hey, come on, why don't we forget everything that's happened; let's kiss and make up! That's what you WANT, right? You want a perfect little life; you want me to forget that my parents are dead, forget that the only reason I got into this stupid university was to hunt you down and make you _suffer_, right..? I guess that wouldn't sound too good at dinner parties, ey? Why don't we just pretend I'm a WHOLE DIFFERENT JET? That way, little Zuko can be proud of me and we can live happily ever after and it will be JUST FREAKING DANDY!" Jet started marching away. Zuko watched him for only half a second before following and keeping pace with him.

"What the hell are you talking about? I don't want to change you!" Jet scoffed.

"Oh right, but you do want to be forgiven? Completely..? For everything?"

"What? No, I-" Jet stopped, as did Zuko. He stared at Zuko, glowering.

"Yeah right, Zuko. Well guess what? I wasn't moved by your little speech, I don't forgive you for being a jerk and I never, ever want to make the mistake of caring about _you_ ever again." He started walking again, faster. Zuko matched the pace still. He was getting angry now too.

"Oh, but you did care about me! And considering everything you've just told me, you must have cared about me A LOT for it to all balance out!"

"So what if I did?" Jet snapped. "I don't anymore."

"How can you say that? How can you just stop caring about someone? Just like that?!" They were both having to raise their voices even louder now, as they were approaching the road and the occasional sound of cars threatened to drown them out.

"BECAUSE, Zuko… you hurt me. Over and over again, you were thoughtless and stupid and brash… you didn't give a shit about me until recently… and why? WHY DO YOU CARE ABOUT ME?"

"You're my FRIEND! I lo- I care about you a lot!" Jet stopped in his tracks. He stared at Zuko in utter confusion.

"What did you just start to say..? Don't pretend you didn't because I heard it!" Zuko looked away. His gaze went to their feet.

"I just meant as a friend, OK?" he muttered. Jet laughed.

"Oh great, so you love me as a friend, then..? That's just great. It's a shame too; I'm sure, if we could have got past the grudge, and all the hatefulness and your elitist complex… that we could have done great as more than just _friends_." Zuko's eyes went straight back to Jet's face, to check for sarcasm.

"Do you mean that..?" Jet smiled, nodding. Zuko felt a smile form on his own face. There was a whole second before Jet's smile turned into a twisted grin and Zuko's face fell.

"You actually thought I MEANT it! After everything I've just SAID to you! Oh man, that's priceless!" And now, the glower returned. "Zuko, I may have cared about, I may have wanted to protect you and save you from that awful family of yours… but I never, ever considered being anything more than a friend to you, if that. If you were someone else, maybe. But as it is, Zuko, your family killed my family and you can never make that right. EVER!" Jet started to walk off again and Zuko was just too defeated to stop him. He seemed to be frozen to the spot, and it took all his strength to call out.

"Jet, what you're doing is stupid! We had something!" Jet turned around and continued to walk backwards. He had given up the sarcastic smiles now, and all he had left was a slightly sorrowful frown.

"It's too late Zuko! You'll never convince me now."

He didn't realise he had backed into the road. And he didn't see the car.


	41. Chapter 40

**Forty**

Zuko watched in horror as he saw Jet tip over the bonnet and crumple awkwardly onto the road. The driver didn't stop, and instead actually sped up. If there hadn't been a more pressing issue, Zuko would have chased after them. As it was, he rushed to Jet's side to see the extent of the damage. His arm was at a funny angle and he was wavering on the edge of consciousness. His eyes flickered between open and closed rapidly, finding Zuko's. He gazed inconsistently at him, unable to focus.

"Zu…ka…" he gurgled. Zuko nodded rapidly.

"Pret…tend… I lied…" Zuko snatched up Jet's hand, rubbing the fingers furiously. He shook his head.

"You lied. You lied, and so you never walked into the road, right? And you didn't get hit. So you're fine. Right?" Jet smiled. It was the same smile Zuko was so fond of; somehow warm. If only it weren't so sad as well right now.

"Gurd… bec'use… I did." Jet's eyelids continued to flicker, but slower, closing in on falling. Zuko squeezed his hand tighter, shaking his head in disbelief.

"You did! You did..? So… so… you'll be OK, right?" Jet smiled. For a split second, Zuko forgot that they were in the road, one of them seriously injured. He imagined they were somewhere else, somewhere happy. Not his home. Not Jet's, or Bee's, home. Not their room at university. The milkshake shop. Yes, they were at the milkshake shop. They were at the milkshake shop at midday and it was sunny and lovely and they were both laughing and no-one was upset or hurt. Life was perfect. Except that after the single second his mind let him spend there, he was drawn back to the real world and someone was shoving him out of the way. It was Katara.

"Get out of the way, Zuko! He's hurt!" He fell back to lean on his hands, helplessly watching her check him over. He heard her voice choke as she started to cry. "Please be OK Jet, don't die, don't die!"

_Don't die._ He agreed silently. _You never listened to her before, listen to her now!_

"Please don't die!"

There were a few moments before he even realised that Sokka was helping him to his feet. When he did, he turned around and saw that everyone had rushed over. Obviously Bee had raised the alarm. He internally thanked her for running to get help instead of idiotically pawing over Jet in desperation as he had. Maybe he could tell her later, when they were sure Jet would be OK. He was vaguely aware of Sokka telling him that Suki had called an ambulance. Still, the only thing he could focus on was Katara trying desperately to get Jet conscious. He wondered what he had meant when he'd said he'd lied. He had lied so many times before; Zuko couldn't be sure if he'd been telling the truth about lying. He'd ask Jet when he was in a better state. And if he had been, that could mean anything…

The ambulance arrived shortly afterwards, but had no room to carry all of them. Zuko couldn't ask to be the only person in there, not after everything that had been said. Katara went in the end, and the rest of them flagged down a car. As such, the ride to the hospital was pretty cramped, which thankfully distracted everyone from their thoughts. When they did arrive, they were directed to a waiting room where they would be informed of news when it came in. The room was ugly and full of worried looking people. It smelt of watered down vegetables. It was also quiet, and so everyone got a chance to think.

If he had lied, Zuko thought, then that meant that he could eventually forgive him. How _much_ had he lied about, though..?

If I hadn't shown up, thought Bee, then this wouldn't have happened. Jet would be fine. It's my fault. No, it's that boy's fault. ALL his fault!

Oh man, Sokka wondered, if I'd told him to leave my sister alone in the first place, maybe he would be somewhere else by now, alive and well. Why did he run out into the road..?

I didn't see how badly he was hurt, Toph said to herself, anxiously. Duh! Of course I didn't; everyone was panicking though - it must have been really bad. I wonder if he had any bones sticking out..?

Suki went to fetch some coffee.

They had to wait for nearly an hour before Katara returned to the waiting room. Her eyes were on the floor, but when she reached them she looked up. Her face was tearstained and blotchy. When she spoke, she had to focus hard to stop her voice from shaking too badly.

"They couldn't do anything," she whimpered. "Jet's dead."


	42. Ashes

**Ashes**

It was a grey day. The sky was overcast and dull, the air slightly foggy and thick. It was starting to get colder. Overall, it was both appropriate and inappropriate; the weather matched the mood, but didn't do justice to the importance of the day. He wondered, readjusting his collar for the twelfth time in as many minutes, if the sun would have made the day any better. He doubted it could ever have been any more bearable. The first trickles of rain started to patter onto the grass and into the hole before them. They teased the dirt around the edges, inviting it in. They didn't seem to care that the grave was reserved. Zuko had long since blocked out the droning voice of the priest, deciding that he had no right to be talking about Jet anyway. Instead, he fiddled with his suit and stared into the empty hole, matching the one which had formed inside him during the past few weeks.

It was later, at the after party, if it could be called that, that he finally spoke to anyone. Katara was staring blankly out of the window at the rain. He watched her for a second before taking the seat beside her. She didn't look at him, but he felt that she was probably listening.

"Did he say anything before… he..?"

"No," she replied, without turning around. The syllable was lonely. It obviously wished that there were something else to say, so that it didn't have to be the whole of the sentence. As it was, there was nothing.

"Oh. I just wondered…" Zuko trailed off for the simple reason that there was nothing left to talk about. He had waited for the moment when he could ask the question. He had saved it up inside himself, desperate to ask, but knowing that the right moment would come eventually. Now that it had, and passed, he was at a loss. He had secretly hoped that Jet had said something to Katara in his last moments, something that would answer all the questions he wanted to ask him. Now he would be left with nothing but unanswered questions forever. Katara turned sharply to face him, her blue eyes wide and slightly wet. Her face was also full of questions.

"Did he say anything to you? On the… before..?" Zuko shook his head. The only thing he had said was of no relevance to her, and although he wished he could offer something of value, there was nothing. Nothing; stretching on for as long as they could see. She smiled sadly; nodding, accepting it. She got up to leave, perhaps to find Toph or Sokka.

Zuko had been surprised at first at how few people had turned up. Bee and told a few of her friends and, assumedly, Jet's friends who had shown up, but their number totalled less than six. A few girls from the university had turned up, a couple of whom he recognised. He was pretty sure none of them had known him particularly well. He had purposefully not told his sister, just in case she had wanted to come. He didn't want her there. Then, it was just their group. Him, Katara, Sokka, Toph… Suki was there with Sokka, and Aang had come down on the train, although he wasn't sure why. Then, there was Haru.

No-one had expected Haru to come, and indeed he had given no warning that he would. But someone must have given him the news because he had arrived that morning; ashen faced and desolate. He had not cried once, but he looked so fragile that at any moment he could burst into tears. Zuko felt sorry for him, but also jealous. He was beginning to realise that Jet was the only person in the world who had actually understood him. And now he was gone. Forever.

Meanwhile, Katara had retreated to an empty corner of the reception hall; a corridor in fact. She was sitting listlessly on the floor with her back against the wall. She had been there for a while when she heard footsteps approach. She turned her face slightly towards the noise, then changed her mind and moved it away. The footsteps stopped beside her, but she made no move to interact with the figure, whoever they were. She heard a sigh, and they dropped down beside her, folding their arms across their knees. She turned.

"Aang..?" she mumbled, wondering why he was out here. She had wondered why he was here at all, actually, as he'd never been particularly close to Jet and it was a long train journey there and back.

"Hey," he said quietly. He smiled respectfully, warmly. The corner of her mouth twitched, but she couldn't manage the full smile. They were both quiet for a second. "You know Katara…I didn't exactly come today for Jet." She blinked, not comprehending.

"Then… why did you come..?" He sighed, worry and comfort in his face.

"For you. Don't get me wrong, Jet was a great guy and I'm sorry that he's gone, but… I came for you, Katara."

"Me..? Why?" Her mind was still too rattled to pick anything up.

"Because I knew you'd be sad, and I wanted to help you. And… because I love you." It didn't sink in the first time.

"You what..?"

"I love you, Katara. And when I heard about Jet, do you know what I thought? I thought 'he had a chance to be with you and he blew it, and now it's too late for him to go back'. Well, I think I have a chance too. And I won't give it up, not for anything. I even stopped shaving my hair…" It was true that Katara had not noticed at first, but she looked now, and she realised that everything he had said made sense. He was willing to give everything up for her. And she was thankful. She rested her head on his shoulder and he put an arm around her.

"Thanks Aang, for everything."

Zuko had been alone with his thoughts for a good half an hour before he was interrupted. He turned to see Bee sitting herself down in the chair next to him. She looked at him, her expression mute. When she spoke, her voice was low and monotone.

"You know _how_ Jet got into your university..?" Zuko was a little taken aback by the question. But, he had always wondered, and he was in no mood to reject answers. He shook his head.

"He studied. Every day for a month, in between work and school. I told him it was a waste of time, that your snobfest wouldn't take him no matter how smart he was. I was wrong. He got in, and then you ruined everything." Zuko was about to interrupt, but she didn't give him the chance. "Why did you have to be good?" Her eyes had started to get teary, her voice shook. "Why couldn't you have been the boy he was expecting? If you had just been like the rest of your family, then Jet could have wrecked your life, had his revenge and come home! Then he'd… he'd… he wouldn't be…" Tears ran freely down her cheeks and she could no longer speak. Zuko knew she was right, but didn't know what to say. Was he supposed to apologise for being a decent human being..? It took him a moment, but he did eventually find the right words.

"If I had been the boy he was expecting, it's true that things would have been straightforward. He would have got his revenge, and I would have got what I deserved. But it should _never_ have been that way. Because, if it HAD, if he hadn't seen that I was different, then I would have still been an asshole. And he'd still be angry. And neither of us would have found the person that they needed to find; the one other person who could understand them and see them for what they were. But in the end, it doesn't matter, because Jet did get his revenge. My family killed his parents, and he made sure I lost the only other person I could ever truly relate to."

Bee was silent. She had absolutely nothing to say to that.


	43. Aftermath

**Aftermath**

The café was relatively deserted, the largest gathering by far the one in the furthest corner from the door. Four people were currently sitting around the mucky table, silent, leaving their drinks untouched. There were two men and two women; a fairly tall brunette with a gentle manner sat at one side, dressed in a long blue skirt and a coat to keep the rain which she had failed to remove upon entering the confines of the café. Beside her was a man who you would usually expect to be cheerful, just by looking at him. He had short brown hair which had got wet on the way there, and his hand was resting on hers, protectively. Opposite them was a man with a reasonably short ponytail, gazing blankly at the wall, who looked very much like the woman across from him. He had his arm around the shoulders of a skinny, lively-seeming woman who glanced from time to time at the clock and seemed less affected by the overcast emotions present than the rest of her group. They were all clearly waiting for someone else to arrive.

A squeak from across the room told them that someone else had entered the café. They all looked simultaneously to see another man and woman, the two they had been waiting for, standing in the doorway. She was short and well-built, her dark hair held in the same messy bun which it had been for years. She gazed blankly ahead and waited for her companion to guide her in the direction of the table. He fussed momentarily with an umbrella before making his way towards the others. His hair reached almost to his shoulders nowadays, but he could not bring himself to grow it back into the ponytail it had once been. His golden eyes were cold. They had been for years. They both took their seats with the others, but there was a heavy pause before anyone spoke. Eventually, it was Sokka who started their usual conversation.

"How have you two been?" he asked of Zuko and Toph, without properly looking at them. Toph answered first.

"Life's alright. I've changed my place around a bit since September. That was the last time I saw you, right..? September?"

"Yeah," he replied, with a vague nod. "September, and before that not since this time last year."

"Of course," she agreed.

"I can't believe we see so little of one another these days…" Katara murmured, thinking aloud. Aang nodded in agreement. Not one of them was properly involved in the conversation. Not that they needed to be; these yearly meetings were always the same, had been, almost ever since they started. It was just the first few after they had graduated from university, with the exception of Toph who had left early, that had been different. They had stayed much truer to the purpose of remembering rather than the current trial of trying to forget.

"I thought I had seen you since March…" Zuko mused, aiming the comment at Katara. She shook her head.

"No, it was definitely March. I rarely stay in constant contact with anyone but Sokka anymore. And I probably would forget if we weren't family." Sokka laughed in a manner both polite and sad. Aang squeezed her hand and she added, "Well, obviously and Aang. But it would be hard not to."

"Did you two ever get that house..?" Toph asked, out of a lack of conversational topics rather than genuine interest. Aang nodded.

"Yeah, it's a really great place. Good area."

"I should come over some time." Another pause with a lack of anything interesting to say.

"We re-did our bathroom a while ago, it looks nice," Suki put in, if only to cover the silence. The scattered and dull topics continued for the best part of an hour, as they always did, until finally someone said something worthwhile.

"Do you remember," Zuko interjected, "that week before it happened, when everything was great..?" There was silence. Everyone stared at him. No-one seemed bold enough to reply, until finally, Toph did.

"Yeah… you're right," she said slowly, almost painfully. "Things were great that week. It was like irony when it happened, after that…"

Another silence. None of them had thought properly about what had happened for a long time; years, even. Except Zuko, who couldn't help but think about it all the time. All the time, it ate away at him. Whenever he was alone and got a chance to think, which was almost all the time. He was always slightly annoyed at these group meetings that no-one ever mentioned him. Even he, it occurred to him, hadn't. He'd said 'it'; was that all he had been..? Although none of them realised it, no-one had spoken for ten minutes. Which made sure it caught them out when Zuko got sharply to his feet, hands on the table and spoke, in a voice which he had last used on someone who he had not seen for almost fifteen years.

"Why did we let it fall apart? That week before Jet died just shows us; we could have been good friends, even after that. But we let it fall apart instead; why? Why did we do it..?" After a brief recovery from Zuko's speech, Toph stood up as well.

"He's right! Katara, I see you once every few months nowadays. We hardly ever talk on the phone anymore… why, though..? Even Zuko I only see every couple of months. And I only saw Sokka and Suki twice last year! I don't get it. Why did we let it tear things apart?"

No-one had an answer; that much was obvious. The atmosphere seemed to darken in the café around their table. After a while, Zuko sighed and sat down. Toph, glumly, followed suit. However, eventually, Katara answered them both.

"Because he was always the one that fixed things."

None of them nodded, but she was right. They all knew it. They stayed in the café together for another hour or so, dragging the meeting out for as long as possible. After all, all six of them would not be together in the same place again for one more year. Even if they met up in twos and threes and fours, it wouldn't be the same as it had once been. It never would be. That is not to say that any of their lives were bad, well, except for one. Every now and then, pieces of his speech to Bee at the funeral came back to him. He wished he hadn't been right.

**end.**


End file.
